Systems and methods for a mobile business application development and deployment platform

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for developing, customizing, and deploying mobile device business applications are provided through a mobile application development and deployment platform. Preferably, these systems and methods are implemented in an Internet based environment that allows non-technical users to build highly-customizable cross-platform mobile applications. The platform allows users to select, input, create, customize, and combine various content, design characteristics, database structure, and application components, such as modules, some of which allow an end user to store and access data in an end user database for business applications. In certain embodiments, the platform allows users to compile and generate a configuration file for the mobile application that can be distributed to end users for execution on various mobile devices and mobile operating systems. When the mobile application is installed on, or executed by the mobile device, the configuration file may enable the retrieval of data associated with the mobile application.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/396,392, filed on Feb. 14, 2012, which claimsbenefit to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/472,609, filed onApr. 6, 2011, and which is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/396,368 (now U.S. Pat. No. 8,261,231), filed on Feb. 14, 2012. Thecontents of the above-identified applications are incorporated byreference in their entirety as if recited in full herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to systems and methods fordeveloping computer software applications. More specifically, certainembodiments are directed to systems and methods for developing,deploying and updating cross-platform mobile device applications throughan Internet-based mobile application development and deployment platformthat allows non-technical users and developers to build sophisticated,highly-customizable applications, including sophisticated,highly-customizable business applications (or portions of suchapplications).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Mobile devices, such as smart-phones, tablet PCs, and other handhelddevices have become widespread and important to the daily activities ofmany consumers and businesses. Traditionally, these type of devices haveprimarily served as communications devices. Recently, however, consumersare increasingly relying upon these devices as an integral tool in theperformance of a wide-range of personal and work-related tasks. Inresponse, mobile phones and other wireless handheld devices have evolvedinto complex computing devices with equally complex computer hardwareand software.

While many of these mobile devices continue to be used for various formsof communication (e.g., voice calls and text messaging) they alsogenerally provide other various functionalities, including accessing anddisplaying websites, sending and receiving e-mails, taking anddisplaying photographs and videos, playing music and other forms ofaudio, etc. These, and numerous other functionalities, are generallyperformed by software applications either in the form of softwarecomponents that are built-in to the device's mobile operating system orseparate mobile applications (mobile apps) that run on top of theoperating system. Recently, the development and use of mobile apps hasbecome prolific and thousands of apps now exist across a wide array ofmobile devices.

Numerous competing manufacturers, developers, and other serviceproviders have entered the mobile device space in recent years, offeringhardware, software in the form of mobile operating systems, or in somecases a combination of both hardware and software. This, in turn, hasresulted in the development of a number of dissimilar and incompatiblemobile device platforms and environments. Some of the differences amongthese devices include their hardware components, operating systems andinput and output capabilities. In fact, many of the most widely usedmobile devices, such as Blackberrys, iPhones and Android-based devices,use different operating systems (e.g., Symbian, iOS, Android and webOS),many of which have their own programming environments and softwaredevelopment tools.

Typically, developing mobile applications for these different operatingsystems and devices requires the use of varying design techniques andprogramming languages, as well as separate operating system or devicespecific software code and compilations. As a result, it is oftenchallenging for developers to write software applications that areportable across multiple types of mobile devices. Instead, mobile appdevelopers are frequently forced to rewrite all or at least substantialportions of the software in order to support different devices.

In order to encourage and facilitate the development of mobile apps forcertain types of mobile operating systems and/or devices, themanufacturers and developers of these systems and devices frequentlydistribute software development kits (SDKs) that are associated withtheir devices and/or operating systems (or particular versions orreleases thereof). Among other things, these SDKs allow applicationdevelopers to write programs or applications for users of the supportedmobile devices and/or mobile operating systems. While these SDKs assistwith the development of mobile apps, in order to utilize these SDKs asignificant degree of technical knowledge and expertise in softwareprogramming and mobile devices is typically required. In particular, useof these SDKs requires programmers to possess an understanding of andexperience with both the programming language and the specific mobileoperating system platform for which the application is being developed.

In addition to the challenges associated with building mobile apps,deploying these applications and distributing them to end users canoften be a complex and involved process. In part, this is due to thefact that many of the mobile device and operating system manufacturersand developers require that all mobile apps to be used with theirdevices and operating systems must be distributed through their digitaldistribution platform (e.g., iOS's App Store, Android's Google Play,webOS's App Catalog). Typically, the apps must also be approved by themanufacturers or developers prior to being included in theirdistribution platforms. Obtaining such approvals for a mobileapplications can be a time-consuming and complex process. As a result,an understanding of, and experience with, the requirements andrestrictions imposed by manufacturers is often necessary in order todeploy and distribute applications to mobile device users successfullyand efficiently.

Similarly, these manufacturers and developers often require that anyadditional data associated with the application, such as updates,plug-ins, extensions, and content, also be distributed through theirdigital distribution platforms. In some cases, certain types of updatesare also subject to separate approval by the manufacturers. Thus, theserestrictions can further complicate and slow-down the distribution andmanagement of mobile applications.

Given the high level of skill and expertise needed to create, deploy andupdate mobile applications, many non-technical individuals, as well asindividuals lacking experience in a particular programming language ormobile operating system or digital distribution platform, have are notable to develop and/or distribute mobile applications. Although therehave been attempts to make mobile application development moreaccessible to a wider public through software systems that allow personswho do not have significant experience in programming or specific mobileoperating system platforms to create mobile applications, these systemshave exhibited a number of drawbacks and limitations which have resultedin their failure to be widely adopted by consumers.

For example, one drawback is that many of these software systems allownon-technical users to create applications for only one mobile operatingsystem, such as, for example, iOS, Android, webOS, or Symbian, (or arestricted subset of the operating systems). In light of the number ofdifferent mobile operating systems, including a number of which arewidely used, the ability to develop an application that can be easilyported across all mobile operating systems (or at least those withmeaningful consumer bases) is a crucial in promoting efficient andsimplified mobile application development.

Another drawback is that many of these software systems still requiresubstantial technical knowledge and expertise and, therefore, thesesystems do not simplify the process to the degree necessary to makemobile app development accessible to non-technical users. Some of thesesystems are not intuitive to use, involve user training and/or requireat least a base level of technical knowledge, such as exposure toapplication programming and design.

Yet another drawback is that many of these software systems placesignificant limitations on the types of applications that can be builtusing the system. For example many of these systems only provide userswith the ability to create simple, non-flexible applications thatprohibit the utilization of the wide-range of features and specificfunctionalities included within many mobile devices and their respectivemobile operating systems, such as a compass, GPS, gyroscope, touchscreen, camera, speaker, microphone, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB connectivity,and proximity sensor. As a result, with these types of systems, specialprogramming skills and expertise is needed to use/install additionalcomponents, plug-ins, modules, or emulators, in order to create moresophisticated mobile apps that utilize these features andfunctionalities. As another example, many of these systems do notprovide the user with the ability to create apps that can allow the enduser store and access data in an end user database, such as for abusiness application. Also, some of the resulting applications builtusing existing systems or development tools are only usable while theuser's device is “online.” In addition, some of these systems requirethe user to download updates for the application from a third party,such as the mobile operating system's digital distribution platform,rather that from the application developer directly.

There is, therefore, a need for a system that simplifies and streamlinesthe development, deployment and update of mobile software applications,thereby making the process accessible to non-technical users through anenhanced, user-friendly experience. There is also an need for a systemthat allows users to develop an application that can run on any mobiledevice operating system. There is further a need for a system thatallows users to create sophisticated applications that utilize acustomized combination of mobile device and mobile operating systemfeatures and functionality, as well as allow the end user to store andaccess data in an end user database for business applications. There isstill further a need for a system that is web based while also enablingusers to access applications developed through the platform off-line.There is still further a need for a system that provides users withupdates associated with applications directly without the need to accessthe mobile operating system's digital distribution platform.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the invention is to provide a mobile applicationdevelopment and deployment platform that allows developers to design,build, distribute and manage mobile software applications. Anotheraspect of the invention is to provide such a platform that is accessibleto non-technical users and operable through an easy-to-use, intuitiveuser interface that does not require users to possess expertise incomputer programming or mobile devices and applications. Yet anotheraspect of the invention is to provide such a platform that allows for ahigh degree of customizability and allows users to create sophisticatedapplication through the customization and combination of variouscomponents, such as app-types, modules, content elements, and templatesthat can access features of various mobile devices and mobile operatingsystems, and can allow an end user to store and access data in an enduser database for business applications. Yet another aspect of theinvention is to provide such a platform that allows users to create,customize, update and deploy other types of applications, such as mobilegames and web applications through the development platform.

Another aspect of the invention is to provide a mobile developmentplatform that is accessible through the Internet without the need forusers to download or install any separate software, while enabling theapplications developed through the platform to be accessible off-line.Yet another aspect of the invention is to provide such a platform thatallows users to build a single application (or portions of anapplication) that can be compiled for use across a wide range of mobiledevices and operating systems. Yet another aspect of the invention is toprovide such a platform that manages the deployment and distributionthrough third-party digital distribution platforms of applicationsdeveloped using the platform. Yet another aspect of the invention is toprovide such a platform that allows applications to be assembled andupdated on-the-fly through the use of configuration files that may bedownloaded by end users and which include a reference to and/or subsetof the application that is used to access application data from a remotesource. Yet another aspect of the invention is to provide such aplatform that provides updates, content and other data associated withthe application to users directly, without the need for users toreinstall the application or to download such updates, content or datafrom a digital distribution platform.

One or more of the above and other aspects may be realized throughsystems and methods for a mobile application development and deploymentplatform. In certain embodiments, a mobile development and deploymentplatform and corresponding arrangements is provided to address concernsfacing non-technical users and mobile app developers, such ascross-platform interoperability, user-friendliness, customizability, andversatility. Certain embodiments allow non-technical users andapplication developers to develop mobile applications through theplatform, without the need for technical knowledge and expertise, suchas experience with computer programming and mobile devices and operatingsystems.

In certain embodiments, a computer system and method is provided whichgrants users access to a mobile application development platform inorder to assist users in the development and customization of mobileapplications. In certain of these embodiments, the user may be presentedwith information associated with customizable components pertaining tothe functionality, design, content, and database structure of a mobileapplication to be customized by the user. In certain embodiments,selections are received from the user related to the customizablecomponents presented to the user. Application data representinguser-defined functionality, design, content, and database structurebased on the user's selections is associated with the mobile applicationand stored by the computer system. In certain embodiments, compiled datamay be generated for the mobile application based on the applicationdata using build tools for a mobile operating system. A configurationfile is generated that includes an identifier for the mobileapplication. In certain of these embodiments, the configuration file maybe adapted for transmission to, and execution on, a mobile devicerunning the mobile operating system. In certain embodiments, theidentifier may allow the mobile device to retrieve at least a portion ofthe compiled application data in response to the mobile applicationbeing installed on, or executed by, the mobile device.

In certain embodiments, a computer system and method is provided whichgrants users access to a mobile application development platform inorder to assist users in the development and customization of mobileapplications. In certain of these embodiments, an application typeproperty is received from the user indicating an application categoryfor a mobile application to be customized by the user. The applicationtype property may be used to determine the customizable componentspertaining to the functionality, design, content, and database structureof the mobile application based on the application category associatedwith the mobile application. In certain embodiments, information is sentto the user which causes the customizable components to be presented tothe user. In certain embodiments, selections are received from the userrelated to the presented customizable components. Application data isassociated with the mobile application based on the user's selectionsand stored on the physical memory of the computer system. In certainembodiments, the application data may include one or more applicationcomponents that represent user-defined functionality to be provided bythe mobile application, one or more design elements that representuser-defined design characteristics associated with the presentation ofthe mobile application on mobile devices, one or more content elementsthat represent user-defined content data to be accessed through themobile application, and/or one or more database structure elements thatrepresent user-defined database structure data to be utilized by themobile application to create an end user database.

In certain embodiments, a set of target mobile devices may be determinedon which the mobile application is to execute. Compiled data may begenerated for the mobile application based on the application data usingbuild tools for a mobile operating system associated with the set oftarget mobile devices. A configuration file may be generated thatincludes an identifier for the mobile application. In certainembodiments, the configuration file may be adapted for transmission to,and execution on, a mobile device associated with the set of targetmobile devices. In certain embodiments, the identifier may allow themobile device to retrieve at least a portion of the compiled applicationdata from a remote storage location in response to the mobileapplication being installed on or executed by the mobile device.

In certain embodiments users may build and compile applications (orportions of such applications) that are capable of running on multiplemobile operating systems and/or mobile devices. In certain of theseembodiments the platform allows users to take advantage of the variousfeatures and functionality specific to certain types of mobile devicesand operating systems by incorporating and combining components thataccess these features. In certain embodiments the platform allowsnon-technical users and application developers to develop and deployother types of applications, such as mobile games and web applications,in a similar manner.

In certain embodiments a mobile development platform is provided in theform of a web based application development environment and service. Theweb based service may present users with an intuitive, user-friendly,graphical user interface that assists users with, and guides usersthrough, the process of developing and deploying mobile applications. Inaccordance with certain embodiments, users can design, create, customizeand modify mobile apps by specifying the particular features, content,and layout of a desired mobile application. In certain of theseembodiments, the user may select, combine and customize variouspredefined and user-uploaded components, including modules, app-types,themes, templates, settings and content. In certain embodiments, theuser may choose one or more mobile operating system(s) and/or mobiledevices for which the application is to be built and on which theapplication will execute.

In certain embodiments, applications developed through the platform maybe compiled using automated build tools associated with the mobileoperating systems. In accordance with certain of these embodiments, thecompilation may not contain the complete collection of data for theapplication, but instead may include an identifying reference and/orother basic information, such as a settings or configurations fileand/or a subset of the application data. This information can later beused (e.g., when the application is downloaded, launched or executed bya user) to retrieve certain data associated with and/or needed by theapplication including various components, layouts, features, and contentfrom a remote storage medium. The application may also use thisinformation to check for and/or download any updates or modifications.In certain of these embodiments, the application may automatically checkfor and/or download such updates each time the application is launched.

In certain embodiments, after an application is compiled, it may besubmitted to a digital distribution platform associated with one or moremobile operating systems and/or devices. In certain of these embodimentsthe digital distribution platform may require the application to gothrough an approval process prior to allowing the application to bedeployed and distributed to end users. In accordance with certain ofthese embodiments, the mobile development platform may submit theapplications to one or more digital distribution platforms for approvaland distribution automatically. In certain other embodiments, thisprocess may be performed manually.

In certain embodiments, applications that have been developed throughthe mobile development platform may be downloaded by end users forinstallation and/or execution on the user's mobile device. In certain ofthese embodiments, the application may be downloaded from a digitaldistribution platform for use on supported mobile devices. In certainother embodiments, the application may be downloaded from thedevelopment platform or a third-party application hosting service. Incertain embodiments, after the application is downloaded and/orlaunched, the application may access a remote storage medium to retrievevarious data including features, content, and layout for theapplication, and display that data to the end user. In certain of theseembodiments, the application data may be accessed from the mobiledevelopment platform directly. In other embodiments, the applicationdata may be accessed through a digital distribution platform or athird-party service. In certain embodiments, the application and/ormobile device may cache certain application data retrieved from theremote storage medium. In certain of these embodiments, the applicationmay determine whether the application should use this cached data orwhether it should access the application data from the remote storagemedium.

In accordance with certain embodiments, servers hosting the mobiledevelopment platform, or other third-party servers or systems, mayinsert advertisements or other forms of supplementary content into theapplications created through the development platform and distributed toend users. The advertisements that are inserted into the applicationsmay be based on various characteristics, such as application type,content, user information (e.g., aggregated demographic data), and/orgeographic or temporal information. In certain of these embodiments, theadvertisements may be presented to end users in a non-intrusive manner.The advertisements may be presented within or on top of certain contentelements included in the applications, and/or may be displayedtemporarily or at certain predetermined stages of the application'sexecution. In certain embodiments, other supplementary notifications,such as information related to the availability of updates to downloadedapplications, new applications available from developers who created thedownloaded applications, popular applications, and/or highly-ratedapplications may be sent to end users and/or inserted into applicationsdeveloped through the platform.

In certain embodiments, the development platform may provide varioussocial networking capabilities by linking developers and users whoutilize the mobile development platform to create and distribute mobileapplications. In accordance with certain of these embodiments, thesocial networking capabilities may be built into development platformitself, such as through the web based graphical interface. In certainother embodiments, these capabilities could be provided through aseparate service. In certain embodiments, developers may access, connectand interact with other developers and users, such as by findingexisting connections on established social media websites. Using suchcapabilities, developers may collaborate, share information, andexchange customized templates, modules, app types or applications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features of the invention, its nature and various advantageswill be more apparent from the following detailed description of thepreferred embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, in which like reference characters refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial diagram of a system including a mobile developmentand distribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating a portion of an applicationdevelopment environment of a mobile development and distributionplatform according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process for developing mobile applicationsthrough the mobile development platform in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data model that maybe used to store and represent application data for mobile appsdeveloped through the mobile development and distribution platform inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process that may be used in connectionwith executing mobile applications developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process for viewing, creating and/ormodifying notifications through the mobile development and distributionplatform, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anotifications manager presented to developers through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a process that may be used foradding modules to mobile apps through the mobile development anddistribution platform, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing acontacts module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 10 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including a contacts manageraccessed by a developer through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing anelectronic book module for inclusion in a mobile app developed throughthe mobile development and distribution platform;

FIG. 12 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including an electronic bookmanager accessed by a developer through the mobile development anddistribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing aninteractive book module for inclusion in a mobile app developed throughthe mobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 14 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofa mobile app having a interactive book module, developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing anevents module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 16 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including an events manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing a feedsmodule for inclusion in a mobile app developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 18 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including a feeds manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing a formsmodule for inclusion in a mobile app developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 20 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including a forms manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 20A is a pictorialdiagram illustrating a portion of the display of an app including aforms module developed through the mobile development and distributionplatform and executing on a mobile device, in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing an HTMLmodule for inclusion in a mobile app developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 22 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including an HTML manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing a linksmodule for a mobile app developed through the mobile development anddistribution platform, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 23A is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofa mobile app having a links module, developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments

FIGS. 24 and 25 are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of an application development environment including a linksmanager accessed by developers through the mobile development anddistribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 26 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing aphotos or videos module for inclusion in a mobile app developed throughthe mobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIGS. 27 and 28 are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of an application development environment including a photos orvideos manager accessed by developers through the mobile development anddistribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIGS. 27A and 28A are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of a photos or videos module on the display of a mobile device,according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 29 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing asoundboard module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 30 is pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anapplication development environment including a soundboard manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 30A is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofa soundboard module on the display of a mobile device, according tocertain embodiments;

FIG. 31 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing astickers module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 32 is pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anapplication development environment including a stickers manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 32A is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofa stickers module on the display of a mobile device, according tocertain embodiments;

FIG. 33 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing a menuor list module for a mobile app developed through the mobile developmentand distribution platform, according to certain embodiments;

FIG. 34 is pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anapplication development environment including a list manager accessed bydevelopers through the mobile development and distribution platform inaccordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 34A is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofa mobile app having a menu module, developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments;

FIGS. 34B and 34C are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of an application development environment including an eCommercemanager accessed by developers through the mobile development anddistribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 35 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing acoupons module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 36 is pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anapplication development environment including a coupons manager accessedby developers through the mobile development and distribution platformin accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 37 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing adiscography module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIGS. 38 and 39 are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of an application development environment including adiscography manager accessed by developers through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 40 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of a mobile devicedisplaying a mobile app having a quiz module, developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIG. 41 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including a talking friendmanager accessed by developers through the mobile development anddistribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 42 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofa mobile app having a talking friend module, developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments;

FIGS. 43A-43C are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of a game development environment that may be used by developersto create, modify and customize mobile games through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform in accordance with certainembodiments;

FIG. 44 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing anadd-item forms module for inclusion in an inventory system mobile appdeveloped through the mobile development and distribution platform,according to certain embodiments; and

FIG. 45 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing areport module for inclusion in an inventory system mobile app developedthrough the mobile development and distribution platform, according tocertain embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As discussed above, non-technical mobile device users and otherindividuals may have a difficult time relying on existing,non-user-friendly software systems to develop mobile applications(“mobile apps” or “apps”) for various types of mobile devices. This isespecially true for users who want to develop, release and update mobileapps that utilize certain device-specific features and functionality ofmultiple mobile device operating systems. To reduce the burden for, andmake the development and deployment process accessible to, such users,systems and methods are provided herein that allow users to develop anddistribute mobile apps across multiple mobile operating systems withoutthe need for technical knowledge of computer programming and mobiledevices.

Certain embodiments pertain to a mobile development and distributionplatform and corresponding arrangement that allows non-technical usersand application developers to develop mobile apps through the platformthat may be built and compiled to run on multiple mobile operatingsystems, and/or mobile devices and utilize the various device andoperating system specific features, without the need for programmingknowledge or expertise. Certain of these embodiments allow users tohighly customize the mobile apps developed through the platform byselecting and combining various predefined components, features,application designs, and content and/or creating new components, such asapp-types and modules. Certain embodiments allow users to deploy appsdeveloped through the platform by submitting the compiled applicationsto digital distribution platforms associated with one or more types ofmobile operating systems and/or mobile devices. Certain of theseembodiments, allow the compilation to consist of an identifyingreference and/or other basic information, rather than the applicationdata itself, which may be used to retrieve application data from aremote source, and build and configure the application when end usersdownload or execute the application. Certain embodiments allow users anddevelopers to modify or update the apps and their content directlythrough the mobile development platform. The mobile developmentplatform, corresponding arrangements and systems and methods describedbelow address many of the hurdles and restrictions that currently existwith respect to mobile app development and substantially simplify theprocess by removing the need for technical expertise and experience inorder to make the process accessible to non-technical users and minimizethe time and effort involved.

Mobile Development and Distribution Platform and Architecture

FIG. 1 is a pictorial diagram of a system including a mobile developmentand distribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments. Asshown in FIG. 1, this system includes servers, processors, networks, andpersonal devices which are part of the mobile development anddistribution platform. The system of FIG. 1 includes server 200, whichmay be computer hardware, software, or a combination thereof, includingany number of physical or virtual computer servers, or any othersuitable computing device or devices. In certain embodiments, server 200hosts, operates and/or provides access to a mobile development servicewhich can be accessed by various developers, such as non-technicalusers, application designers or software developers and/or any othertypes of users who desire to build and/or deploy a mobile app. Incertain embodiments, the mobile development service may be in the formof a software development environment running on server 200. In certainother embodiments, the mobile development service may be any suitableform of hardware, software or a combination of hardware and softwarethat allows developers to create, modify and/or deploy mobile apps. Incertain of these embodiments, developers may access server computer 200through developer computer 100, as depicted in FIG. 1. Developercomputer 100 may be a personal computer, laptop, tablet PC, mobiledevice or any other suitable computer hardware and/or software that iscapable of communicating with, and/or providing developers with accessto, server 200.

In certain embodiments, server 200 and/or the mobile development servicemay be may be hosted and operated by one or more third-party serviceproviders and/or may be accessed by developers through network 500 usingdeveloper computer 100. In certain of these embodiments, network 500 maybe any suitable type of wired and/or wireless network. such as anInternet network or dedicated network that allows developers to accessto server 200 through developer computer 100. For example, as shown inFIG. 1, server 200 may be in the form a web server that can be accessedby developers through the Internet using developer computer 100.Developers may access the mobile development service by navigating toone or more web pages using a standard web browser on developer computer100, thereby obviating the need to download and/or install separatesoftware on developer computer 100. In certain other embodiments, themobile development service may be a separate client or stand-alonesoftware application that can be downloaded by developers from server200 and/or one or more other third-party servers, or may be provided todevelopers through any other suitable means (e.g., CD, physical disk,etc.) and installed on developer computer 100. Although server 200 isshown in FIG. 1 for illustrative purposes, it should be understood thatin certain embodiments the functionality provided by server 200, such asthe mobile development service, may be hosted and operated by any numberof servers, or may be integrated with developer computer 100.

In certain embodiments, such as where server 200 is a web server, themobile development service may be provided in the form of a web basedservice. In certain of these embodiments, the web based service mayprovide developers with access to an application development environmentthat allows the developers to create, modify, and deploy mobile apps.For example, the web based service may be in the form of a graphicalinterface, such as a website, that presents and allows developers tointeract with, various web pages. In certain of these embodiments,developers can design, create and/or modify a mobile app by defining(e.g., selecting, creating, customizing and/or uploading) variousapplication components, such as app-types and modules, design elements,such as layouts, themes and display options, and content elements, suchas test, images, videos, sounds, songs, documents, and other similardata for the app. This process is illustrated and described in furtherdetail below in connection with FIG. 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, in certain embodiments, server 200 may also utilizeone or more database servers, such as database server 210. In certainembodiments, database server 210 may store various predefined or genericapplication data, such as templates, modules, layouts, content, etc.,that can be retrieved by server 200 and presented to developer duringthe application development process. In certain of these embodiments,database server 210 may be used by server 200 to store and retrievemobile applications that are being, or have been, developed bydevelopers through the mobile development service. For example, as adeveloper creates and/or modifies a mobile app, server 200 may storedata associated with the app, such as application components and designelements selected, created or customized, and/or content uploaded, bythe developer in database server 210. In accordance with certain ofthese embodiments, server 200 may then retrieve the stored applicationdata and/or present it to the developer, such as when the developeraccesses the mobile development service at a later time.

In certain embodiments, database server 210 may be hosted and operatedby a third-party service provider. The third-party service provider maybe a separate service provider or may be the same service providerhosting and operating server 200. In certain of these embodiments, as isshown in FIG. 1, server 200 may access, and communicate with, databaseserver 210 through network 500. In certain other embodiments, databaseserver 210 may be integrated with (or directly connected to) server 200.In yet other embodiments, such as where server 200 is hosted andoperated by the developer, database server 210 may be integrated with(or directly connected to) developer computer 100.

In accordance with certain embodiments server 200 may communicate withone or more digital distribution platforms, such as digital distributionplatform 300, through network 500. Digital distribution platform 300 maybe any suitable network service capable of hosting mobile apps anddistributing them to end users. In certain of these embodiments, digitaldistribution platform 300 may be a web based service that is associatedwith and/or hosted and operated by a manufacturer or developer of aparticular mobile operating system (or systems) and/or mobile device (ordevices), such as iOS's App Store, Android's Google Play, webOS's AppCatalog, OpenAppMkt, etc. In certain other embodiments, digitaldistribution platform 300 may be hosted and operated by a third-partyprovider or by developer and/or may be integrated with server 200 ordeveloper computer 100. In certain of these embodiments, as shown inFIG. 1, server 200 may communicate with digital distribution platform300 through network 500.

For example, during, or after, creating or modifying a mobile appthrough server 200 and/or the mobile development service, a developermay select one or more target mobile device sets, which include one ormore mobile operating systems and/or mobile devices on which the mobileapplication is intended to operate. For example, target mobile devicesets may include a mobile device category, mobile device type or mobiledevice model. Each mobile device category may be associated with thegroup of mobile devices that run a particular mobile operating system(e.g., the various versions of Apple's iPhone, iPad and iTouch, whichrun the iOS mobile operating system). Each mobile device type may beassociated with a subset of a mobile device category, based on the typeof mobile device (e.g., smart-phone, tablet, etc.). Each mobile devicemodel may be associated with a single mobile device (e.g. Apple's iPhone4) or all models of a particular mobile device (e.g., Apple's iPhone).In certain embodiments, a default target mobile device set mayalternatively, or additionally, be set by the mobile developmentplatform and/or service In certain embodiments, server 200 may compilethe app based on the selected mobile device categories and/or mobiledevice types and/or transfer the compiled app to one or more digitaldistribution platforms, such as digital distribution platform 300 fordistribution to end users. In certain of these embodiments, server 200may automatically submit apps developed through the mobile developmentservice to digital distribution platform 300. In certain otherembodiments, developers may be required to manually submit their apps.

In certain embodiments, such as where digital distribution platform 300is hosted and operated by a mobile operating system or mobile devicemanufacturer or developer, it may be required that mobile apps besubmitted for approval prior to being accepted and/or distributedthrough digital distribution platform 300. In certain of theseembodiments, the mobile operating system or mobile device manufactureror developer may require that the mobile apps include a digitalsignature and/or unique identifier in order to be distributed throughdigital distribution platform 300 and/or to utilize certain features orfunctionality specific to the mobile operating systems and/or devicessupported by the platform. In accordance with certain of theseembodiments, server 200 may create the digital signatures and/or uniqueidentifiers for the apps, such as during compilation of the mobile apps,and/or manage any approval processes or submission procedures requiredby digital distribution platform 300.

As shown in FIG. 1, in certain embodiments, digital distributionplatform 300 may distribute mobile apps to end users for execution on amobile device, such as mobile device 400. Mobile device 400 may be anysuitable type of mobile device capable of running mobile apps, includinga smart-phone, tablet, slate, or any other type of device that runs amobile operating system (e.g., iOS, Android, Symbian, BlackBerry OS,Windows Mobile, Windows Phone). For example, digital distributionplatform 300 may host a number of mobile apps, including mobile appsdeveloped through the mobile development service. In certain of theseembodiments, end users may access digital distribution platform 300 tobrowse through and select certain mobile apps that are available fordownload. The selected mobile apps are then provided to the end user andinstalled on mobile device 400. In certain of these embodiments, endusers may access the selected mobile apps from and download the apps tomobile device 400 directly, such as through a website link, e-mail, textmessage, cellular data, or any other suitable form of communicationbetween digital distribution platform 300 and mobile device 400.Alternatively, or in addition, end users may access and download theselected apps using a separate device, such as a personal computer,laptop, tablet, etc., and then transfer the downloaded apps to andinstall the apps on mobile device 400. In accordance with certain otherembodiments, end users may download mobile apps directly either fromdeveloper computer 100 or server 200.

Mobile apps developed through server 200 and/or the mobile developmentservice may be compiled for use with certain mobile device categoriesand/or mobile device types as illustrated and described in connectionwith FIGS. 3-5 below. In certain embodiments, the compilation may notinclude the entire app but, rather, may contain a subset of the dataassociated with the app, such as an identifying reference and/or aconfiguration or initialization file. The compilation may then be madeavailable to end users for download and installation on mobile devicesin a similar manner to that described above. For example, an end usermay download and/or install a compilation for a selected mobile app tomobile device 400. In accordance with certain of these embodiments,after downloading the compilation, installing the app, and/or executingthe app, the mobile app and/or mobile device 400 may retrieve additionalapplication data from a remote storage medium. This additionalapplication data may be used to build, format and/or to present the appand its contents to the end user. For example, as shown in FIG. 1,mobile device 400 may communicate with database server 210 throughnetwork 500. In certain of these embodiments, mobile device 400 mayaccess certain application data, such as content, layouts, templates,modules, or other components associated with, and/or needed by, the app.In certain other embodiments, mobile device 400 and/or the mobile appmay retrieve the application data from digital distribution platform300, server 200, developer computer 100 and/or any third-party serviceprovider that hosts and provides the application data. In certainembodiments, when the mobile application is launched it mayautomatically access database server 210 to retrieve the applicationdata and/or check for and download any updates that have been made tothe application and/or its content.

One advantage of the systems and methods described herein, as can beseen from the description above, is the ability for mobile appdevelopers to design, build and deploy sophisticated mobile apps acrossmultiple mobile operating systems and distribution platforms without theneed for specialized technical expertise and skill. Another advantage isthat mobile applications developed through the described platform can bedistributed to end users in a simplified format, which may then accessdata associated with and/or needed by the applications from remotesources upon execution or installation of the app. In turn, this allowsapp developers to modify or update the format, features, functionalityand content of the app after distribution simply by updating theapplication data that is stored at the remote source, whichautomatically provides end users with such updates when the app islaunched without having to, reinstall the app or manually connect to, ordownload any data from, a digital distribution platform or other thirdparty service provider.

Mobile App Development Tool

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating a portion of an applicationdevelopment environment of a mobile development and distributionplatform according to certain embodiments. The particular display shownin FIG. 2 is an exemplary illustration of a web tool in the form of awebsite that may be presented to developers in order to allow them todesign and develop mobile apps. In certain of these embodiments, theapplication development environment may be provided by server 200 and/orthe mobile development service and accessed by a developer usingdeveloper computer 100 as illustrated and described in connection withFIG. 1. For example, server 200 may host the web pages that are part ofthe web based tool and transmit them through network 500 to developercomputer 100.

As shown in FIG. 2, in certain embodiments, the mobile developmentenvironment may be displayed to the developer on a display associatedwith developer computer 100, such as display screen 102. For example,display screen 102 may present the mobile development environment in adisplay window, such as development window 110. Development window 110may be any form of display suitable for presenting the mobiledevelopment environment to the developer. In certain embodiments, suchas is depicted in FIG. 2, development window 110 is presented in theform of a graphical user interface that allows developers to interactwith various visual components in order to build mobile apps, such as byviewing and making certain selections, inputting and uploading dataand/or customizing and modifying predefined application data.

According to certain embodiments, such as where the mobile developmentenvironment is provided through a web based service, development window110 may present the developer with a graphical user interface in theform of a number of web pages that the developer can navigate through,and interact with, to create or update mobile apps. In certain otherembodiments, such as where the mobile development environment is in theform of a stand-alone software application, development window 110 maydisplay graphical output associated with the software application. Incertain embodiments, the mobile development environment may allowdevelopers to combine certain predefined application components, such asapp-types and modules, content elements, such as text, images, videos,audio, and/or application design elements, such as themes, layouts,formats, styles, etc., and/or create their own application components,content elements, and design elements, thereby allowing such developersto create mobile apps without having to understand or write softwarecode. For example, developers may be presented with and be able toselect and/or modify certain predefined design elements for the mobileapp and/or its components, which allow the developers to create, modifyand customize the design and presentation of the mobile app and its userinterface.

As another example, in certain embodiments, developers may be presentedwith certain predefined application components, such as app-types andmodules that the developer may select, modify and combine in order tocustomize the app. In certain of these embodiments, each app-type may beassociated with a particular category of app, such as restaurant apps,law firm apps, magazine apps, blogging apps, doctor apps, and museumapps. In certain embodiments, the modules may be associated with certainfunctionality and features that may be included in the app (e.g.,contacts, image viewer, map function, email function, messagingfunction, etc.). In certain of these embodiments, the modules mayinclude features and functionality that is specific to one or moremobile device categories and/or mobile device types (e.g., touch-screeninterface, video camera, etc.), along with the corresponding applicationlogic and code that allows such modules to function in a pre-determinedmanner, such as a menu.

Additional examples of specific app-types and modules that may be usedin accordance with the systems and methods discussed herein aredescribed below and/or illustrated in connection with FIGS. 9-42. Itshould be understood that the particular application design elements andcomponents discussed above (e.g., layouts, themes, app-types andmodules) and their corresponding names are merely provided for exemplarypurposes and various other types and names of application components anddesign elements may be utilized.

As shown in FIG. 2, in certain embodiments, development window 110 mayinclude a sub-window, such as component window 112 for displaying one ormore application components, design elements, content elements, and/orvarious settings or options to the developer. For example, when adeveloper creates a new app, component window may present the developerwith a number of available layouts, app-types and/or modules that may beused in the app. In certain embodiments, development window may includeone or more selectable icons, input fields, and/or buttons, such asbuttons 120-122, which allow the developer to interact with the mobiledevelopment environment, such as by selecting, creating and modifyingapplication components, design elements, and settings and/or inputtingcontent and other data.

For example, the developer may browse through certain availableapplication components, content elements, and design elements that aredisplayed in component window 112 by clicking buttons 120 and 122. Whenthe developer reaches a desired component or element, the developer mayadd the component or element to the current mobile app by clickingbutton 121. In certain of these embodiments, component and designelements that have been previously selected or created may be displayedin component window 112 along with various options and settingsassociated with the displayed component or design element that may beselected and/or modified by the developer. In certain of theseembodiments, the developer may remove the previously selected componentor element from the mobile app, such as by button 121. It should beunderstood that the particular user interface and user inputs describedherein are exemplary and could be replace by or combined with any othersuitable form of user interface known in the art, such as voicerecognition, visual inputs, touch-screens, etc.

According to certain embodiments, such as is illustrated in FIG. 2,development window 110 may include a graphical representation of one ormore mobile devices, such as device representation 116. In certain ofthese embodiments, the particular mobile device represented may be basedon selections previously made by the developer associated with one ormore mobile device categories or mobile device types for which themobile app is being developed. In certain other embodiments thedeveloper may be able to select, update and/or switch between the mobiledevices (or categories and/or types thereof) being represented by devicerepresentation 116, such as by clicking a button or drop-down menuincluded in development window 110.

In certain embodiments, device representation 116 may allow thedeveloper to see how certain application components, content elementsand/or design elements, such as app-types, modules, layouts, and themes,are presented and/or function on the represented mobile device. Incertain of these embodiments, device representation 116 may be updatedbased on certain selections made, and/or content or data input, by thedeveloper. For example, as the developer selects, creates, or modifiescertain application components and design elements, devicerepresentation 116 may be updated or refreshed to reflect suchselections within the illustrative device screen, thereby enabling thedeveloper to view and understand in real-time how various selections andmodifications will impact the display and/or operation of the mobile appon one or more mobile device categories, mobile device types, orparticular mobile devices. In certain of these embodiments, devicerepresentation 116 may provide a simulation of the current state of theapp and allow the developer to interact with, and navigate through, theapp, such as by clicking on various portions of the app simulated bydevice representation 116. In response to the developer selecting aportion of the app through device representation 116, development window110 may display certain application components, content elements ordesign elements associated with the selected portion of the app and/orallow the developer to add, modify, upload, and remove various features,options, designs, and content associated with these components anddesign elements.

As shown in FIG. 2, development window 110 may include an enhanced,user-friendly tool, such as graphical wizard 114, that assists and/orguides developers through the process of designing, creating, and/ormodifying mobile apps. In certain embodiments, graphical wizard 114 mayassist a developer with the selection, creation, input, combinationand/or customization of various application components, design elements,and content elements, such as by recommending various app-types,modules, layouts, themes, settings, and content for the app. Forexample, graphical wizard 114 may present the developer with certainhints, help text, suggestions, and/or notify the developer of certainrequired selections or inputs, which may be presented to the developerwithin development window 110 or through any other suitable form ofoutput, such as audio. In certain of these embodiments, the developermay view such information by clicking, or hovering over, an icon orbutton within development window 110 that is associated with graphicalwizard 114. In certain embodiments, graphical wizard 114 may bepresented in the form of, or include, a representative character oricon, such as the robot illustrated in FIG. 2. In certain otherembodiments, any other suitable character or graphical depiction of awizard or guiding tool may be used. In certain embodiments, thedeveloper may be allowed to enable and disable graphical wizard 114.

In certain embodiments, application development window 110 may include aprogress indicator, such as progress bar 118 depicted in FIG. 2, whichmay indicate the developer's progress through the applicationdevelopment process. In certain embodiments, progress bar 118 mayindicate one or more steps that have been completed and/or that stillneed to be completed by the developer to finish the current mobile app.For example the application creation and deployment process may bedivided into any number of sub-processes. As a developer moves throughthe app design and deployment process, progress bar 118 may be updatedto reflect the status of each sub-process. The progress bar may also, oralternatively, reflect the quality of the app, which may be updatedbased on the uniqueness of the app, such as the type and/or amount ofcustomizations selected or content added and uploaded by the developer.

In certain of these embodiments, such as where the mobile developmentenvironment is provided in the form of a web based service, thesub-processes may be represented by one or more web pages that allowsthe developer to step through the process of application development anddeployment in a page-by-page or similar manner. In accordance withcertain of these embodiments, graphical wizard 114 may guide thedeveloper through one or more of the steps associated with each page orsection. In certain other embodiments, the steps and/or sub-processesmay be combined into a single group of options and settings for thedeveloper to select as desired, such as within a single web page.

For example, according to certain embodiments, the mobile app creationand deployment process accessed through by the web based service may bedivided into four main sub-processes: app properties, app design, appcontent, and app publishing. After selecting an option to create a newapp, a developer may be prompted to complete an app propertiessub-process. Through the app properties sub-process, the developer mayselect, upload, and/or input various high-level settings for the app,such as a name, icon image and/or splash screen image for the app. Thedeveloper may then proceed to the app design sub-process, through whichthe developer may select, upload, and/or input various design and layoutoptions for the app, such as a color scheme, background image, and/orapp-type. After selecting and customizing the high-level properties andoverall design of the app, the developer may proceed to the app contentsub-process, through which the developer may add, modify, combine andcustomize the functionalities and content of the app, such as by addingand customizing various modules and content elements to be included inthe app. Once the developer has completed the creation and design of theapp and its content, the developer may then move to the app publishingsub-process. Through this sub-process, the developer may select variouspublishing properties, such as target mobile device types, appdescription, app category, copyright settings and/or keywords, andpublish the app. In certain of these embodiments, the app publishingsub-process may check whether the app meets certain minimal requirementsfor publishing and, if not, may indicate any deficiencies to thedeveloper.

In certain embodiments, each of the four sub-processes described abovemay be presented to, and/or accessed by, the developer through aseparate web page or web pages. In certain other embodiments, thesesub-processes may be presented in the form of tabs within a single webpage, or any other method suitable for use within a web based service.It should be understood that the four sub-processes and their names aredescribed above for the purpose of illustration only, any number ofsub-processes could be used in connection with the mobile app creationand deployment platform and/or corresponding web based service.

App Creation Process

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process for developing mobile applicationsthrough the mobile development platform in accordance with certainembodiments, such as those described in FIGS. 1 and 2. At step 10 adeveloper accesses a mobile development environment. In certainembodiments, the developer may access the environment by using a browseron the developer's computer to navigate to a website hosted and operatedby a web server (such as server 200 illustrated in FIG. 1). The webserver and/or mobile development environment may request the that thedeveloper login (e.g., by inputting certain login credentials) in orderto access the mobile development environment and/or associated website.In certain embodiments, upon accessing the mobile developmentenvironment, the developer may be presented with certain options, suchas the option to create a new mobile app and update an existing mobileapp. In response to the developer selecting an option to create orupdate an app, at step 20 the mobile development environment may displayoptions to, and receive selections and input from, the developer relatedto the app, and components and elements thereof, such as applicationcomponents, design elements, content elements and settings that may beincluded in, or selected for, the app.

For example, in certain embodiments, such as where the developer desiresto create a new mobile app, the mobile development platform may displaya web page displaying certain available, predefined app-types. Themobile development environment may prompt the user to select an app-typefor the new app and/or input or select certain basic properties for theapp, such as a name, an icon file to be displayed on the mobile deviceand its location, splash screen images and/or the target mobile devicecategories or mobile device types. In certain of these embodiments, oneor more keywords may be associated with the app, which may be generatedautomatically based on the developer's selections and input and/orprovided by the developer. In certain embodiments, these keywords may beused by the mobile development environment and/or the developer inconnection with the distribution of the app to end users, such as toassociate the app with one or more predefined app categories included ina digital distribution platform or to allow end users to search for theapp using keyword searches.

In certain embodiments, such as after the developer selects an app-typeand/or selects or inputs certain basic application properties for a newapp or selects an existing app to modify, the mobile developmentenvironment may display various predefined application components, suchas modules, and/or application design elements, such as themes andlayouts, that can be selected, customized and/or included in the mobileapp. In certain embodiments, after selecting a particular applicationcomponent or design element, the developer may be presented with andselect, input and modify certain options associated with the selectedcomponent or design element, including content elements, settings,features and associated sub-components. For example, after selecting aparticular predefined module to include in the app, the mobiledevelopment environment may display a web page showing the availablelayouts for the selected module and/or various module properties orattributes that may be selected or modified. The mobile developmentenvironment may prompt the developer to input or upload certain contentassociated with the application component, such as text, images, videos,etc.

In certain embodiments, in addition to, or instead of, selecting apredefined application component or design element, the developer may beallowed to create or upload custom components or elements for inclusionin the mobile app, such as by creating a template for a custom componentin a similar manner to that described in connection with FIG. 4. Incertain embodiments, the developer may view, modify and/or removecertain previously selected components, design elements, or contentelements provided by the developer. As discussed in connection with FIG.2, the mobile development environment may display and update a graphicalrepresentation of the current state of the application based on theselections and input provided by the developer.

In accordance with certain embodiments, such as where the developerdesires to update an existing mobile application, the mobile developmentenvironment may display a list of apps that the developer has previouslycreated, such as apps that are in-progress and prompt the developer toselect an app to modify or update. The mobile development environmentmay present the developer with the current state of the selected app andallow the user to add, modify, customize, create and/or removeapplication components, design elements, content elements and other datain a manner similar to that described above. In certain of theseembodiments, the mobile development platform may retrieve the selectedapp and its data from a storage device, such as a remote database serveras discussed in more detail below.

At step 30, the mobile development environment saves certain selections,updates and/or inputs provided by the developer during the applicationdevelopment process. In certain embodiments, the mobile developmentenvironment may store this information in an remote applicationdatabase, local database or any other suitable storage medium. Incertain of these embodiments, the mobile development environment mayaccess the database and create and/or update certain entries in thedatabase and its tables and relationships therebetween in a mannersimilar to that described in connection with FIG. 4. In certainembodiments, the mobile development environment may automatically storethe developer's selections, input and other application data after eachsuch selection is made or input provided. In other embodiments, themobile development environment may store this information afterprompting the developer and/or receiving an indication from thedeveloper to save the app. In yet other embodiments, the information maybe stored after the developer completes certain steps or portions ofapplication development process as discussed in connection with FIG. 2.In certain embodiments, the mobile development environment may generateand store additional information associated with the app, such a uniqueidentifier and change log.

At step 40, the mobile development environment may determine whether thedeveloper has provided enough information (e.g., selections and input)to complete the app. In certain embodiments, the mobile developmentenvironment may make this determination after the developer completescertain steps or sections of the application development process. Incertain other embodiments, the mobile development environment may promptthe developer and/or wait until the developer indicates a desire tocomplete and/or deploy the mobile app. If the mobile developmentenvironment determines that the developer has supplied enoughinformation to complete the app, at step 50, the mobile developmentenvironment prompts the developer to indicate whether the app iscomplete and, if so, the process proceeds to step 60. Otherwise, flowreturns to step 20, where the developer is able to modify theapplication, such as by adding, removing and updating applicationcomponents, elements and content.

After the developer indicates that the mobile application is complete,at step 60 the mobile development platform may prompt the developer toselect one or more mobile device categories, mobile device types, and/orparticular mobile device models on which the app is intended to run. Incertain embodiments, the developer may select the mobile devicecategories, types and models earlier in the process, such as whenentering the application properties. In accordance with certain of theseembodiments, the mobile development environment may use the selectedmobile device categories, types and models to update the availableapplication components or design elements that may be selected by thedeveloper. In certain other embodiments, the developer may be allowed toselect or modify the target mobile device categories, types and modelsat any time prior to compilation of the app.

At step 70, the mobile development environment creates certain referencedata for the application, such as a configuration file or similar data.In certain embodiments, the reference data may contain basic informationassociated with the app, such as the app's unique identifier. In otherembodiments, the reference data may include additional or otherinformation, such as an application's icon file location, an app name, asplash image file location, a security key, a web address to access onthe app's launch/execution, or any combination of the same, and/or otherinformation relevant to the app. In yet other embodiments, the referencedata may include all of the data needed by, and associated with, theapp.

At step 80, the mobile development platform builds and compiles the appfor the selected mobile device categories, types and/or models. Incertain embodiments, the app may be compiled and built using certainnative compilers and/or build tools provided by the manufacturers ordevelopers of the mobile operating systems and mobile devices. Forexample, the mobile development may use such tools to build a shell or“empty” app for a selected mobile device category, which includes thereference data. As discussed in more detail below, when the app isdownloaded, installed, and/or launched on a mobile device, the app maythen use the reference data to access and retrieve certain dataassociated with the app.

After the app is compiled, at step 90, the app may then be submitted todigital distribution platforms for distribution to end users. Forexample, the compiled app may be submitted to one or more digitaldistribution platforms associated with the selected mobile devicecategories, types and/or models (e.g., iOS's App Store, Android's GooglePlay, webOS's App Catalog, OpenAppMkt, etc.). In certain otherembodiments, such as where the digital distribution platform isintegrated with the mobile development environment or developer'scomputer, the compiled app may be distributed directly to end users.According to certain embodiments, the developer may be required tosubmit the compiled app to the digital distribution platforms manually.In certain other embodiments, the mobile development platform mayautomatically submit the compiled app to the digital distributionplatforms, such as after compiling the app. The mobile developmentplatform may also manage certain approval processes and other actionsrequired by the digital distribution platforms.

It should be understood that the order of the steps illustrated in FIG.3 and described herein are merely exemplary and the order or combinationin which various steps, such as selecting application components,inputting application and component properties and storing theapplication data are performed may be modified or may be performed inany order or combination that is appropriate or desired by the developeror mobile development platform provider.

Thus, as can be seen from FIGS. 1-3 and their accompanying description,the systems and methods described herein allow non-technical users tobuild cross-platform mobile applications that utilize various featuresand functions, including features specific to particular mobileoperating systems and mobile devices through a user-friendly, softwaretool. Accordingly, one significant advantage, is that these users candesign, build, and deploy highly-customizable and sophisticated mobileapps without the need for technical expertise in computer programming ormobile operating systems and devices.

Mobile App Data Model

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary data model that maybe used to represent application data for mobile apps developed throughthe mobile development and distribution platform in accordance withcertain embodiments. According to certain embodiments, the applicationcomponents, design elements, contents, settings, and other data utilizedby developers to design, create, modify, and customize mobile appsthrough the mobile development platform and corresponding systems andmethods described and illustrated herein may be organized and stored ina relational and/or hierarchical manner. In certain of these embodimentsapps developed through the platform may include and/or be represented bya set of application components, content element, and/or designelements, each of which, in turn, may include, or be associated with,one or more other application components, content elements, and/ordesign elements and so on. For example, each app may be associated withan app-type, which includes one or more modules, each of which, in turn,contains one or more layouts.

In certain of these embodiments, the application components, designelements, content elements, and other data, as well as theirrelationships to each other, may be represented and stored in adatabase, such as relational database. In certain other embodiments,these relationships and the application data may be represented and/orstored in any other suitable format and/or medium, such as in tables,trees, sets of links, or other similar structures. By storing thisinformation in a relational manner, mobile apps developed through themobile development and distribution platform can be easily stored,retrieved, built, and updated simply by representing each app through aseries of relationships between the application's components, elementsand other data. Moreover, the architecture described and illustrated inFIG. 4 enables new application components, content elements, and designelements created or customized by developers or other third parties tobe added to the mobile development and deployment platform and used bydevelopers in the development of future mobile apps. It should beunderstood that the particular data model and corresponding tables,attributes and relationships described below and illustrated in FIG. 4are intended to be exemplary in nature. Accordingly, the data modelcould be represented and stored in any other suitable format orcombination of formats known in the art and/or the tables, attributesand relationships could be replaced by, or combined with, various othertables, attributes, relationships or other similar data.

In certain embodiments, the data model may contain a set of data tables,each of which may represent and store certain information associatedwith the apps, such as application components, design elements, contentelements, and other data related to the apps. As shown in FIG. 4, thedata model may include Apps table 220, which in this example representsa mobile app designed and created through the mobile developmentplatform, such as the web based mobile development and deploymentservice and environment illustrated and described in connection withFIGS. 1-3. Apps table 220 contains various attributes and informationassociated with each app, such as Apps attributes 222, which may includea unique identifier for the app, an identifier of the app's app-type,and a name for the app. In certain embodiments, each mobile appdeveloped through the mobile development and distribution platform maybe represented by an instance of Apps table 220, such as a row entry ina corresponding table stored in a database. In certain of theseembodiments, the Apps table 220 serves as the head table for each mobileapp, with the app's application data represented by, and stored invarious other data tables that branch out from Apps table 220, such asthrough a number of relationships amongst the tables. Accordingly, eachapp and its corresponding data can be easily retrieved, such as bylooking up the app's unique identifier in Apps table 220.

As shown in FIG. 4, in certain embodiments, the data model may includeAppTypes table 225, which represents the type of app associated witheach mobile app (e.g., magazine app, blogging app, doctor app, or otherapp types, such as the exemplary app types listed and described in thesections below). AppTypes table 225 may contain various attributesassociated with each app-type, such as AppTypes attributes 227, whichinclude a unique identifier and name for each app-type. In certain ofthese embodiments, when a developer selects an app-type for a new orexisting app, the entry associated with the app in Apps table 220 may bemodified to include the unique identifier for the selected app-type.Similarly, the data model may include AppTheme table 265, whichrepresents a theme associated with each app. AppTheme table 265 maycontain various attributes and information, such as AppTheme attributes267, which include the app's unique identifier, a unique identifier forthe theme, as well as the font, font size and font color associated withthe theme. In certain of these embodiments, each mobile app may beassociated with a particular app-type and/or theme and the correspondingidentifiers may be stored in Apps table 220, thereby forming arelationship between Apps table 220, AppTypes table 225, and AppThemetable 265. In turn, this allows the app-type, theme and theircorresponding attributes and data for each mobile app to be retrievedthrough the app's unique identifier, such as by using the app-typeidentifier stored in Apps table 220 and looking up the app's identifierin AppTheme table 265.

According to certain embodiments, the data model may include AppModulestable 230, which represents and/or stores the modules included withineach app. In certain embodiments, each module may be associated withcertain features or functionality that are included within the mobileapp. AppModules table 230 may contain various attributes associated witheach app and its modules, such as AppModules attributes 232, whichincludes the app's unique identifier, as well as a unique identifier forthe module, an identifier for the module's type and an identifier forthe module's layout. In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4, thedata model may include ModuleType table 255 comprising ModuleTypeattributes 257, which may include various attributes associated witheach type of module, such as a unique identifier and a name for themodule type. In certain of these embodiments, the data model may includea number of predefined module tables that correspond to various type ofmodules available for use in mobile apps developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform (e.g., a contacts module, photosmodule, videos module, or other types of modules, such as the exemplarymodules discussed in connection with FIGS. 9-42) and which includevarious attributes associated with the particular type of module, suchas the options, features, functionality, and content for the module.

Each app developed through the mobile development and distributionplatform may include a number of modules (including multiple modules ofthe same or differing types), each of which may be represented andstored in the tables associated with the particular type of module. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 4, the data model may include ModuleContactstable 235, ModulePhotos table 240, and ModuleVideos table 245. Each ofthese module tables may contain various attributes, content and otherdata that may be associated with each type of module, such as thecontactModule identifier and contact list included in ModuleContactsattributes 237, the photoModule identifier and imageFiles referenceincluded in ModulePhotos attributes 242, and the videoModule identifierand videoLinks stored in VideoModule attributes 247. In certainembodiments, each module table includes an appModule identifier, whichcorresponds to the unique identifier for the particular instance of themodule in the app and which may be stored in AppModules table 230.

As discussed in connection with FIGS. 2-3 and 5, each type of module maybe associated with certain features and functionality provided to endusers through the app. In certain embodiments, the software code orlogic associated with the module (or any other application component ordesign element) may be stored in the database, such as in AppModulestable 230, or may be stored in a separate location, in which case areference to the location of the code may be stored in the table. Incertain embodiments, some of the modules may represent features andfunctions that are common across all or a wide range of mobile devicecategories and types, such as text messaging, GPS functionality,cameras, etc. Other modules may represent features and functions thatare specific to a particular (or only a few) mobile device categories,types or models, such as touch-screen functionality or other specificforms of user inputs, video cameras, compass, gyroscope and othersensors, Bluetooth, etc. As a result, in certain of these embodiments,the module tables may include one or more attributes that indicatewhether the module is associated with, or limited to, one or more mobiledevice categories, types or models. As discussed in more detail below,in certain embodiments, the mobile development environment may use these(as well as other) attributes in determining whether to display aparticular type of module to the developer and/or allow the developer toselect and include the module in an app, based on the mobile devicecategories, types or models selected by the developer. Exemplary modulesand the features, functionality and content associated therewith aredescribed and illustrated in further detail in connection with FIGS.9-42.

In certain embodiments, each module may be associated with one or morelayouts, which represent the design of the module within the app, suchas its location, orientation and format. For example, as shown in FIG.4, the data model may include Layouts table 250 containing variousattributes and information associated with available layouts for amodule, such as Layouts attributes 252, which includes a name and uniqueidentifier for each layout, corresponding to the layout identifierincluded in AppModules table 230. In this regard, each app's modules andtheir respective attributes, content, layouts, software code, and otherdata corresponding to the modules can easily be retrieved from the datamodel by looking up the app's unique identifier in AppModules table 230.

According to certain embodiments, each app-type may be associated with aparticular subset of module types that may be selected by developers formobile apps developed through the mobile development and distributionplatform using that app-type. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the datamodel may include AppType-ModuleType table 260 comprisingAppType-ModuleType attributes 262, which may include various attributesassociated with each type of module, such as an app type identifier anda module type identifier. By including the identifiers inAppType-ModuleType table 260 that correspond to the app-type and moduletype identifiers in AppType table 225 and ModuleType table 255, thetypes of modules associated with and/or available for use withparticular app-types may be determined quickly by queryingAppType-ModuleType table 260. For example, in certain embodiments, suchas where the developer accesses the mobile development service through aweb based service, after selecting an app type for a new mobile app (ormodifying an existing app's app type), the service may look up theavailable modules for the selected app type in AppType-ModuleType table260 and present them to the developer. Accordingly, in certainembodiments, while a particular type of module may be available for usewith a number of different app-types, each app-type has a discreet setof module types that may be used by developers who are developing mobileapps using that app-type. As described in more detail below, in certainembodiments, developers may be given the option to create a newapp-type, or customize and existing app-type, for use with mobile appsdeveloped through the mobile development and distribution platform. Inaccordance with certain of these embodiments, the developer may createor customize these new app-types, in part by selecting and/or modifyingthe set of module types associated with the newly created app-type.

The data model may include other data tables that comprise attributesand other information associated with each mobile app. As shown in FIG.4, the data model may include AppCategory table 270, containingAppCategory attributes 272 that includes certain attributes related toan app's category. This information may be based on the category orcategories in which the app falls that are used in certain digitaldistribution platforms. In certain of these embodiments, the developermay be presented with and prompted to select one or more app categoriesbased on the mobile device category, type or model selected for the app.For example, if the developer indicates that the app is intended tooperate on mobile devices using the iOS or Android mobile operatingsystems, the developer may be prompted to select one of the predefinedapp categories provided by iOS's App Store or Android's Google Play,such as Book, Travel, Business, Home, etc.

As shown in FIG. 4, the data model may include AppDevices table 275,containing AppDevices attributes 277 that stores certain attributesrelated to the mobile device categories and/or mobile device types withwhich an app is associated. For example, these attributes may include adeveloper's selections relating to the type of mobile operating system(e.g., iOS, or Android) or the type of device (e.g., tablet,smart-phone) that the app is intended to operate on. The data model mayinclude AppUpdate/Launch table 280, containing AppUpdate/Launchattributes 282 that stores certain information and data related to theapp's status and/or use by end users, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Asdiscussed in more detail in connection with FIG. 5 below, in certainembodiments, this table may be used to keep track of various statisticsfor an app, such as the number of times it is launched or updated, wheneach update occurred and/or the particular end user/s associated witheach update.

According to certain embodiments, the data model may be used inconnection with the mobile development and distribution platform tofacilitate the design, creation, and modification of mobile apps bydevelopers, such as through the mobile development environment and/orweb based service illustrated and described in connection with FIGS.1-3. In certain of these embodiments, the data model may be used as thebasis for one or more databases that are used to represent, and storecertain data associated with, each app developed through the mobiledevelopment environment. The databases may be hosted by one or moreservers, which, in certain embodiments, may be integrated with theserver/s hosting the mobile development environment (e.g., server 200)or one or more separate servers (e.g., database server 210), such as isshown in FIG. 1.

In accordance with certain of these embodiments, the mobile developmentenvironment and/or web based service may access the databases to storecertain selections made by (as well as data input and/or uploaded by)developers during the mobile app creation and modification process. Forexample, when a developer creates a new app, the mobile developmentenvironment may create a new entry in the database, such as in AppsTable220. Likewise, in response to the developer selecting and modifyingvarious application components, content elements and/or design elementsfor the app, the mobile development environment may create new, andupdate existing, entries in the database and/or form relationshipsbetween the database entries.

In certain of these embodiments, the database may be utilized by themobile development platform and/or environment when a mobile app iscompiled and distributed to end users. As discussed in more detail inconnection with FIG. 3 above, after a developer has finished creatingand/or modifying an app, the mobile development environment may compilethe app for one or more mobile device categories and mobile device typesand/or distribute the compiled app to end users, such as through athird-party digital distribution platform. In certain of theseembodiments, the compiled app may not include all of the data needed by,or associated with, the app. Instead, the compiled app may simplyinclude an unique identifier for the app and/or a configurations file orother basic information for the app. In certain of these embodiments,this information may be compile using, or based on, the database. Forexample, as part of the compiling process, the database may be queriedto retrieve certain attributes and relationships associated with theapp, which may be included in a configurations file. After beingdownloaded, installed, and/or launched by an end user, the compiled appmay then use this information to access the application data from thedatabase that corresponds to the app. In certain embodiments, asdiscussed in more detail in connection with FIG. 5, mobile apps thathave already been installed on mobile devices may be updated through asimilar process, such as by checking the database for new applicationdata or content each time the app is launched.

The database and/or data model may also, or alternatively, be used tofacilitate the design, creation, and modification of mobile apps bydevelopers through the environment in certain embodiments, such as wherethe mobile development environment is provided in the form of a webbased (or software-based) graphical interface. In certain of theseembodiments, the mobile development environment may access the database,to retrieve and display various predefined application components,design elements, content elements, and other information associated withthe mobile apps to developers. For example, when a developer creates anew app, the mobile development environment may query the database toretrieve the predefined app-types and/or themes currently stored in thedatabase, present these app-types and/or themes to the developer andallow the developer to browse through and select a particular app-typeand/or theme for the new app. As another example, after the developerselects a particular app-type for the app, the mobile developmentenvironment may then query the database to retrieve and display all ofthe types of modules that may be included in the app, based on theselected app-type. As yet another example, the mobile developmentenvironment may access the database to retrieve and display theavailable mobile device categories and/or mobile device types that maybe selected by the developer.

In certain embodiments, the mobile development platform may providedevelopers with the ability to create custom templates, or othercomponents, for use with mobile applications developed through theplatform. In certain of these embodiments, a developer may begin with a“blank” template and/or be guided through various steps associated withthe creation of a custom template for an application component, designelement, content element, or other application data, such as by beingpresented with various options, settings, layouts, themes, content,features, or functionalities that can be included or associated with thecustom template. The developer may select from among various predefinedsub-components, content elements and design elements and/or create newsub-components, content elements and design elements that can beincorporated within mobile applications designed and developed utilizingthe custom template.

For example, after accessing the mobile development environment andcreating a new app, instead of, or in addition to being able to select apredefined app-type, the developer may be given the option to create anew, custom app-type for use with the new app. The developer may thenselect, input, and/or modify certain options, settings and attributesfor the custom app-type, such as a name, splash image, icon, andassociated modules. Similarly, in selecting the modules to be associatedwith the custom app-type (or to be included in a new or existing app)the developer may select from among certain predefined modules and/orcreate one or more custom modules, in which case, the developer mayselect and input various options for the module, such as a name, type,one or more layouts, functionalities and associated content. As anotherexample, the developer may create a custom theme for the app or customlayout for a module by selecting various design attributes and settings,such as font type, size and color, background, position, orientation,etc.

In certain embodiments, the data model and/or associated database/s maybe used by the mobile development platform to facilitate the creationand modification of custom application components, design elements, orother data by developers for use in mobile apps developed through theplatform. When a developer selects an option to create a custom templatefor a component, content element, or design element, the mobiledevelopment environment may query the database to retrieve the relevantattributes, settings, content, and sub-components that may be selected,input, and/or combined by the developer to create the customizedapplication component or design element.

In certain of these embodiments, the custom template may be saved by themobile development platform, such as by storing it in the databaseand/or associated data model. The custom templates may then be availablefor use in future apps by the developer and/or by other developers. Forexample, when a developer creates a custom app-type, the mobiledevelopment platform may create a new entry in the database, such as inAppType table 220. This app-type may then be automatically loaded andpresented to developers creating new apps through the platform as one ofthe available predefined app-types. In certain embodiments third-partydevelopers or manufacturers may be allowed to create custom componentsor design elements, such as modules with related module logic for mobileapps, and make these custom modules available to developers and users inthe creation of mobile apps through the mobile development anddistribution platform.

As can be seen from FIG. 4 and the corresponding description above,there are a number of benefits associated with storing application dataand other information associated with the mobile apps in this manner.One such benefit is that it allows apps created and modified through themobile development platform to be stored and represented in a simplifiedform, such as entries in a database, without the need to store thecorresponding software code, application logic and settings for each appseparately. Another such benefit is that new types of applicationcomponents, design elements, content elements and other settings andapplication data can easily be added to (and existing ones modified in)the mobile development platform and used by developers, simply by addingand/or modifying the entries in the database and/or corresponding datamodel. These new or updated components, design elements, contentelements and other data can then be automatically presented to, and usedby, developers in their mobile apps. Yet another such benefit associatedwith the data model described above is that it allows developers tocreate highly-customizable apps by creating and saving custom templatesfor application components content elements and design elements as wellas selecting, modifying, and combining predefined components and designelements. In turn, this provides developers with an extensible andcontinually evolving development environment by allowing developers totake advantage of new components, content elements design elements andother data created and/or customized by other developers.

App Execution and Update Process

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of a process that may be used in connectionwith executing mobile applications developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform as illustrated and described inconnection with FIGS. 1-4 in accordance with certain embodiments. Atstep 410, an end user may download a mobile app developed through themobile development platform to the end user's mobile device, such as bydownloading the app from a digital distribution platform associated withthe mobile device's mobile operating system or by downloading the appdirectly from a server hosted and operated by developer or one or moreservers associated with the mobile development environment. For example,the end user may download the mobile app from digital distributionplatform 300 to mobile device 400 through network 500 as illustrated inFIG. 1.

When the end user launches the mobile app, at step 415 the app maydetermine whether it is the first time that the app is being executed onthe mobile device. If so, the process proceeds to step 420, otherwise,at step 417, the app determines whether certain data associated withand/or needed by the application has been stored locally (e.g., cached)on the mobile device. If cached data exists for the app, the app maydetermine whether the cached data should still be maintained and used bythe app. For example, the mobile app may determine whether to continueusing the cached application data by querying a server or other computersystem hosting the application data to determine whether the cachedapplication data needs to be updated (e.g., whether the application datahosted on the server has been modified since being downloaded and storedat the mobile device).

As another example, the mobile app may determine whether cachedapplication data should be used based on detecting that the app and/ormobile device is unable to access the servers or systems where theapplication data resides (e.g., the mobile device is off-line or theservers or systems are unavailable). If the mobile app determines thatthere is no cached application data or that cached application datashould be discarded and/or updated, the process proceeds to step 420.Otherwise, at step 419, the mobile app loads the cached application dataand proceeds to step 430. One significant advantage associated with thecaching of application data is that mobile applications developedthrough the mobile development platform may still be used even when themobile device is off-line. In certain embodiments, the mobile app,mobile device, and/or end user may disable the caching of applicationdata, either for a particular app or apps or for all apps running on themobile device, in which case steps 417 and 419 of the process may beomitted.

At step 420 the mobile app requests and receives certain applicationdata from the servers or systems hosting the data. In certainembodiments the mobile application may request and receive theapplication data from servers associated with the mobile developmentplatform, such as database server 210 illustrated in FIG. 1. In certainother embodiments, the application data may be requested and receivedfrom a digital distribution platform or directly from servers operatedby the developer. In yet other embodiments, the mobile app and/or mobiledevice may retrieve the application data from one or more intermediaryservers that interface with both or either of the mobile developmentplatform and/or database server 210 or from other servers hosted andoperated by third-party service providers.

In certain embodiments, such as where the mobile app is compiled anddownloaded by end users in the form of reference data, such as aconfiguration file, rather than the complete application data, themobile app may use the reference data to retrieve the relevantapplication data. In certain of these embodiments, the mobile app maysend an app identifier or other app-identifying information, to theserver hosting the application data. The server may use this informationto look-up, retrieve and send the corresponding application data to themobile device. In certain of these embodiments, such as where the appand its data is stored in a database and/or represented by acorresponding data model, the server may use the app identifier tolook-up the app in a database table and retrieve the application data byfollowing the relationships or links to other tables that are associatedwith the app in a manner similar to that described in connection withFIG. 4.

The application data may include any data that is associated with themobile app and/or needed to execute and display the app and its contenton the mobile device. For example, the server may send certain dataassociated with the application components, design elements, featuresand content included in or associated with the mobile app, such asapp-types, modules, content, layouts, themes, settings, and otherinformation to the mobile device. In certain other embodiments, such aswhere the entire application is compiled and downloaded and installed onthe mobile device, the mobile app may request and receive updates to theapplication data and/or content in a similar manner to the processdescribed above. In accordance with certain embodiments, such as wherethe mobile app and/or mobile device is adapted to cache certainapplication data, after receiving application data from the server, themobile app may store the application data in the memory of the mobiledevice.

After receiving the application data (and/or loading the cachedapplication data), at step 430 the mobile app may utilize theapplication data to build and display the app on the mobile device, suchas by incorporating the application components, content elements, designelements, functions, and settings into the application and/or formattingthe display and operation of the application. In certain embodiments,the app may preferably display the application data in the same or asubstantially similar form as the app was designed and developed by thedeveloper through the mobile development and distribution platform. Atstep 440, the mobile app and/or mobile device may determine if theapplication data includes one or more modules or other components thatrely on features and/or functionality specific to the type of mobiledevice or mobile operating system on which the app is executing, such asbutton appearance or multi-touch gesture functionality. If so, at step450 the mobile app may call the device-specific features and functionsfrom within the mobile operating system. Otherwise, the process proceedsto step 460 and the mobile app and its content are displayed to the enduser.

The systems and methods described herein allow mobile apps to beconstructed, formatted, and/or updated on-the-fly when they aredownloaded, installed and/or launched on end users' mobile devices.Accordingly, an important benefit is that developers may easily updatemobile apps developed through the mobile development platform simply bymodifying the version of the application data and related information onthe servers or other systems where the application data is hosted andaccessed by the mobile apps and/or mobile devices. For example, asdiscussed above, when an app is launched the app may query the serverfor the latest application data. Thus, the first time the app islaunched after the developer has updated the application data, the appmay automatically retrieve and utilize the updated data. In turn, thisallows updates to mobile apps to be realized immediately by end userswithout requiring them to manually download updates and/or connect to adigital distribution platform to received the updated application data.By updating the information stored on the relevant servers, thecomponents, design, functionality, features and content elements of theapp running on an end user's mobile device is therefore updated uponexecution of the app.

In certain embodiments, such as where the mobile apps developed throughthe mobile development and distribution platform are represented by adata model and stored in a database, the platform may store certaininformation associated with the use of the apps by end users and/or theaccessing and updating of application data by end users and their mobiledevices. For example, as discussed above in connection with FIG. 4, thedata model may include one or more tables that store certain data inresponse to an end user and/or the end user's mobile device accessingthe mobile development and distribution platform (and/or its associateddatabase servers) to retrieve or update application data for a mobileapp developed through the platform. In certain of these embodiments,this information may include a unique identifier for the mobile device,the mobile app being executed and/or updated, the location of the mobiledevice, and/or the requested application data. In certain embodiments,this information may be stored by the mobile development anddistribution platform each time the mobile app is executed by the enduser. In certain other embodiments, this information may be stored whenthe mobile app and/or mobile device accessed the mobile development anddistribution platform, such as to update cached application data and/orretrieve application data or supplementary content, includingadvertisements.

Supplementary Content

In accordance with certain embodiments certain additional orsupplementary content or other data, such as advertisements andnotifications, may be included or inserted into the mobile appsdeveloped and deployed through the mobile development and distributionplatform. For example, the mobile development and distribution platformmay allow advertisements to be inserted into the mobile apps. In certainembodiments, the decision as to whether or not advertisements should beincluded within a mobile app may be determined solely by the providerand/or operator of the mobile development and distribution platform. Incertain of these embodiments, the mobile development platform mayautomatically insert advertisements in some or all of the apps developedthrough the platform. Alternatively, or in addition, developers may begiven the option to select whether or not to insert advertisements, suchas during and/or after development of the mobile app. If a developerchooses to incorporate advertisements or other supplementary contentinto an app, the developer may be given the option to customize variousproperties associated with the advertisements, such as the type ofadvertisements, their placement within the app, how often they areupdated, and when they are to be presented to end users running the app.

The advertising network/platform, and the delivery of advertisements andother supplementary content to mobile apps created through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, may be provided by servers orsystems integrated or associated with the servers providing access tothe mobile development and distribution platform or by servers hosted bythe developer or a third-party advertising provider. In certain of theseembodiments, the advertisements or other supplementary content may beincluded with the application data hosted by a server, such as databaseserver 210 illustrated in FIG. 1. The mobile app may then retrieve theadvertisements in a manner similar to the retrieval of application datadiscussed in connection with FIG. 5 above. In certain other embodiments,advertisements may be retrieved from a separate advertisements server,such as by including a reference to the location of the server in themobile app. In certain embodiments, the advertisements may be retrievedand integrated into the app upon execution. In certain of theseembodiments, the advertisements may be updated, replaced or modifiedeach time the app is launched, during the execution of the app, and/orat certain predefined intervals. In certain embodiments, the app maycache certain advertisements, such as for display to the end user whenthe mobile device is offline.

The advertisements or other supplementary content that is inserted intothe apps may be based on various characteristics associated with the appand/or the end user, such as the application's type, components orcontent, aggregated demographic data for the end user, selections orinput from made by the developer and/or geographic or temporalinformation. In certain embodiments, the advertisements may be presentedto end users in a non-intrusive manner, such as by displaying themwithin, or on top of, certain content elements included in the apps orallowing end users to minimize or hide the advertisements.Alternatively, or in addition, the advertisements may be displayedtemporarily or during certain stages of the app's execution.

As another example, the mobile development and distribution platform mayallow developers to send notifications to mobile device users, such asusers who have downloaded one or more apps developed and deployed by thedeveloper. In certain embodiments, such as where the mobile developmentservice is provided through a web based service, the developer may begiven the option to view a webpage that displays all of the apps thatthe developer has created (or is in the process of creating) through themobile development and distribution platform. Accordingly, eachdeveloper may have a set of apps that is associated with the developer.In certain of these embodiments, this application set may be stored in adatabase, such as database server 210, in a manner similar to thatdescribed in connection with FIG. 4 above.

In certain embodiments, the mobile development and deployment platformmay include a notifications manager that allows developers to create,modify and send notifications to end users and/or that is responsiblefor managing, retrieving, and displaying such notifications. Forexample, in certain of these embodiments, the developer may createnotifications pertaining to a particular app developed by the developerthrough the mobile development platform. As another example, thedeveloper may create notifications that pertain to new apps created bythe developer. In certain embodiments, the notifications manager, mayallow the developer to input, upload, create, and customize certainfeatures, content and options associated with the notifications. Forexample, the developer may be required to set a date, time, and timezone for each notification, as well as a set of end users to receive thenotification. In certain embodiments, notification manager may checkwhether the selected date is permissible (e.g., in the past). In certainof these embodiments, the notifications may then be automaticallydelivered to end users who have downloaded and installed one or moremobile apps developed by the developer. Alternatively, or additionally,the developer may be able to select a particular app or end user or agroup of apps or end users to receive the notification. In certain ofthese embodiments the developer may be able to select the type ofnotification that is sent to end users, such as a push notification, anotification based on the GPS location of the end user's device, or anyother suitable type of notification.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a process for viewing, creating and/ormodifying notifications through the mobile development and distributionplatform, according to certain embodiments. After accessing the mobiledevelopment and deployment platform, such as through a web based serviceand selecting an option to manage notifications, at step 150 a developermay be presented with a notification manager. In certain embodiments,the notification manager may be presented to the developer through oneor more web pages in a manner similar to that described in connectionwith FIGS. 2-3. At step 151, a determination is made as to whether thedeveloper wants to access and view notifications previously created bythe developer through the notifications manager. For example, thedeveloper may click a button or link to view the previous notifications.In certain of these embodiments, the notifications created by eachdeveloper may be stored by the mobile development and deploymentplatform, such as in database 200 shown in FIG. 1. If the developer doesnot want to view previous notifications, flow proceeds to step 154.Otherwise, a list of the developer's previous notifications aredisplayed at step 152. At step 153, the developer may select and/orinput various criteria, such as a date range, app identifier, etc.,which are used to filter the previous notifications and update the listdisplayed to the developer. In accordance with certain embodiments, thedeveloper may select a particular notification from the list, in whichcase the selected notification is displayed to the developer.

At step 154, a determination is made as to whether the developer wantsto create a new notification or edit an existing notification. Forexample, the developer may click on a button displayed through thenotification manager to create a new notification. Likewise, thedeveloper may click on a button associated with the display of aparticular previous notification to edit that notification. If thedeveloper chooses to create a new, or edit an existing, notification, atstep 155, the developer may select and/or input various optionsassociated with the notification, such as a message, date/time, and timezone for the notification. This process is illustrated and described inmore detail below in connection with FIG. 7. After creating and/orupdating the notification, at step 156 the developer's selections andinputs are saved, such as by creating or updating an entry in adatabase.

FIG. 7 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anotifications manager presented to a developer through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments.In certain of these embodiments, such as where the mobile developmentand distribution platform is accessed through a web based service, thenotifications manager may be displayed to developers within a web page,in a manner similar to that described in connection with in FIG. 2. Asshown in FIG. 7, the notifications manager is displayed withinnotification display window 160, which may include an input form thatallows the developer to input and/or select various content and optionsassociated with the notification. Notification display window mayinclude notification message input box 161 through which the developercan enter a text based message associated with the notification. Incertain of these embodiments, the developer may be allowed to includeadditional (or alternate) content within the notification, such asimages, video, audio or other forms of content. As shown in FIG. 7,notification display window 160 also includes notification input fields162 which allow the developer to set the date, time and/or time zone forwhen the notification should be delivered to end users.

In certain of these embodiments, the developer may be given the optionto create a recurring notification, such as a notification that isdelivered to end users on a monthly or daily basis. In certainembodiments, notification display window 160 may include variousbuttons, such as send button 164 which saves and/or sends thenotification to end users, and sent messages button 163 which allows thedeveloper to view notifications previously sent by the developer. Incertain of these embodiments, when the developer selects a previouslycreated notification as described above, the notification manager maydisplay the selected notification within notification display window 160and/or pre-populate one or more data fields (e.g., message input box161, and/or notification input fields 162) using data retrieved from adatabase that is associated with the selected notification.

Exemplary Application Components

The following provides certain examples of predefined applicationcomponents that may be offered to developers through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform and incorporated within mobileapps developed through the mobile development environment in accordancewith certain embodiments. It should be understood that the particularapplication components described below and/or illustrated in FIGS. 8-39are intended to be exemplary in nature, not exhaustive, and variousother applications components and elements may be used in connectionwith the mobile development platform, corresponding arrangements andsystems and methods described herein.

AppTypes

In certain embodiments, the mobile development environment may provideone or more of the following predefined app-types for use with appscreated through the mobile development environment:

-   -   appRestaurant—In certain embodiments, an appRestaurant app-type        may provide certain information related to a developer's or        third-party's restaurant or food products and/or services.        Mobile applications utilizing this template may include various        content, such as daily specials, directions, menus, suggested        menu items, and reservations. In certain of these embodiments,        the mobile application may include these and other types of        information for multiple restaurants. The mobile app may allow        end users to browse the restaurants and/or filter the        restaurants based on various characteristics, such as restaurant        type, cuisine, location, or price.    -   appRealtor—In certain embodiments, an appRealtor app-type may be        provided that allows realtors to provide realty agency listings        and other related information to end users in real-time. Mobile        applications incorporating this template may provide information        such as, available properties, directions to properties, asking        prices, and descriptions and/or images of the properties, and        may allow end users to contact realtors and/or schedule showings        through the mobile application. In certain of these embodiments,        the mobile application may allow the end user to browse        available listings and/or categorize the listings based on        various characteristics, such as property type, price, location,        features, etc.    -   appBook—In certain embodiments, an appBook app-type may be        provided that allows developers to publish a book or similar        publication. In certain of these embodiments, the mobile        application may present the book in an easy-to-read format for        readers using mobile devices, such as by allowing the developer        to modify and customize various options such as the font and        style and layout of the pages. In certain embodiments, the        mobile application may allow the end user to browse through        numerous books and/or select one or more books to purchase        and/or download to their mobile devices. The template allows        authors and other third-parties to distribute fiction,        non-fiction, reference, or other similar works in a digital        format to mobile device users.    -   appMagazine—In certain embodiments, an appMagazine app-type may        be provided that allows developers distribute and share an        digital version of a magazine, newspaper, pamphlet or other        periodical or other similar publication on the mobile market. In        certain embodiments, these publications may be presented to        users in a manner similar to that of the appBook app-type        described above. In certain of these embodiments the app may        allow users to subscribe to one or more periodicals and/or        automatically download the periodical upon release.    -   appBlog—In certain embodiments, an appBlog app-type may be        provided that allows developers to distribute and share blog        content with additional readers. In certain of these embodiments        the app may allow end users to upload various content to the        blogs, such as pictures, videos and other information. In        certain embodiments, the app may automatically notify the end        users of updates or additional content added to the blog.    -   appDoctor—In certain embodiments, an appDoctor app-type may be        provided that details and describes the services offered by        certain doctor's offices. In certain of these embodiments, the        app may include the services provided by smaller doctor's        offices to hospitals and/or various information concerning the        doctors, such as their specialties and accreditations. In        certain embodiments, the app may enable doctors to contact their        patients and respond to inquiries from patients in real-time.        The app may also assist end users with locating a doctor or        hospital and/or scheduling appointments through the app.    -   appMuseum—In certain embodiments, an appMuseum app-type may be        provided that describes the items and exhibits that can be        viewed at one or more Museums. The app may advertise different        exhibits, such as temporary exhibits and/or provide directions        to a specific noteworthy location. In certain embodiments the        app may allow end users to take a virtual tour through one or        more exhibits and/or may provide and interactive “walk-through”        guide for end users who are present at the Museum.    -   appLawyer—In certain embodiments, an appLawyer app-type may be        provided that allows attorneys to provide information about        their services, which may include information about their areas        of expertise, prior experience, and rates. In certain        embodiments, the app may provide end users with the attorney's        or law firm's contact information, allow the end user to locate        and contact attorneys or law firms, schedule consultations or        meetings, and/or ask and received feed-back on various legal        questions in real-time with an app.

appAccountant—In certain embodiments, an appAccountant app-type may beprovided that allows accountants, accounting firms or similar entites toadvertise and describe their services. In certain embodiments, the appmay provide some or all of the features and information described inconnection with the appLawyer app-type above.

In addition to the app-types described above, other examples ofapp-types that may be used by developers in connection with creating anddesigning mobile apps through the mobile distribution and developmentplatform include app-types that correspond to the followingorganizations, professions, services and/or interests: Businesses,Developer/Construction Companies, Real Estate Agents/Brokers,Contractors, Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) Services,Education, Clubs/Associations, Faith-based organizations, Non-profitorganizations, Sports clubs/leagues, Beauty & Nail Salons,Chiropractors, Dentists, Veterinarians, Cafés/Bars, Catering Services.Hotels, Travel Agencies, General Manufacturing, Advertising Agencies,Artists/Designers, Hair Salons & Barbershops, Cleaning Services,Consulting Groups, Handymen/Maintenance Services, Insurance Services,Models/Actresses/Actors/Entertainers, Personal Trainers/Fitness Coaches,Pet Care (pet grooming/walking services), Photography Studios,Spa/Beauty Treatments, Talent Management Services, Bakeries/PastryShops, Bookstore, Fashion/Clothing stores, Gyms/FitnessCenters/Recreational Sports Centers, Auto/Car Body Repair Shops,Auto/Car Dealerships, Courier Services, Families, Weddings,Cooking/Recipes, Hobbies, Model Making, Photography, Vacations, and/orPets.

In certain embodiments, the exemplary predefined app-types describedabove, and/or others, may be selected, modified and combined bydevelopers during the process of designing and creating mobile appsthrough the mobile development and distribution platform. In certain ofthese embodiments, the mobile development environment may allowdevelopers to customize numerous aspects of these app-types, such as byselecting, adding, and/or removing various features, functionalities,settings, and/or content associated with the app-types. For example,each app-type may be associated with one or more other components, suchas modules, that represent various features and functionalities that canbe included in an app that uses the app-type. Specific examples of thetypes of modules that may be associated with the various app-types aredescribed in more detail below.

As a result, the systems and methods described herein providenon-technical users and developers with a high degree of customizabilityin connection with the design and development of mobile apps by allowingthese developers to utilize, combine and customize various predefinedand user-created application components, design elements, features,functions, settings and content to create mobile apps through a userfriendly, software tool. Thus, one significant advantage, is thatdevelopers and users who lack technical expertise and experience (andother individuals) can nevertheless design, build, and deploy awide-range of sophisticated mobile apps. Another advantage is that thethese developers may take advantage of, and incorporate, variousapplication components, design elements, features and functionalitiesthat have been previously created and/or customized by other developersinto their own mobile apps, thereby reducing the time and effortassociated with the development of mobile apps.

Modules

As described above, in accordance with certain embodiments, the mobiledevelopment platform may provide developers with one or more predefinedmodules or other application components that are associated with and/orallow developers to incorporate certain features and functionality intomobile apps developed through the platform. In certain of theseembodiments, the modules may include features and functionality that arespecific to one or more mobile device categories, types or models. Themodules may also, or alternatively, be associated with other types ofpredefined or user-created application components, such as app-types. Incertain of these embodiments, the predefined modules presented to thedeveloper and made available for use in mobile apps developed throughthe platform may be based on certain characteristics of the mobile appand/or selections made by the developer, such as the target mobiledevice categories, types or models and application components and/ordesign elements. FIGS. 8-42 and the corresponding descriptions belowillustrate and describe certain exemplary predefined modules that may beused with the mobile development and distribution platform andcorresponding systems and methods described herein, along with theprocesses by which such exemplary modules may be selected, customizedand/or added to mobile apps by developers, according to certainembodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for adding modules tomobile apps through the mobile development and distribution platform,according to certain embodiments. As shown in FIG. 8, at step 600, theexisting modules that are included within a particular mobile app arepresented to the developer. In certain embodiments, such as where themobile development and distribution platform is accessed through a webbased service, the modules may be displayed to the developer through oneor more web pages during the app creation and design process (or whenthe developer wishes to edit an existing app) as described in connectionwith FIGS. 2-3 above. At step 601 a determination is made as to whetherthe developer wants to edit an existing module. For example, thedeveloper may select (e.g., click on) one of the existing modules in thedisplayed list. If the developer selects an existing module to edit,flow proceeds to step A, wherein the developer is presented with variousoptions and selections based on the selected module as illustrated anddescribed in connection with FIGS. 9-42 below. Otherwise, at step 602, adetermination is made as to whether the developer wants to add a newmodule to the app. If so, the developer is asked to select a new moduleto add to the app (e.g. by presenting a list of available modules to thedeveloper) and flow proceeds to step A. If the developer does not wantto add a new module, at step 603, the developer is prompted to indicatewhether he or she is finished adding and updating the app's content.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing acontacts module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. In certain embodiments, developers may include a contactsmodule in their apps, such as to provide end users with certain contactinformation associated with the developer and/or other individuals(e.g., third parties for whom the app is being developed). In certain ofthese embodiments, developers may be required to include a contactsmodule in each mobile app developed and/or deployed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform. As shown in FIG. 9, at step 605,the developer may select an option to add a contacts module to an app oredit an existing contacts module. In response, at step 606, the mobiledevelopment and deployment platform may activate a contacts manager. Thecontacts manager is responsible for presenting the developer withvarious options associated with designing and customizing the contactsmodule. At step 607, the developer selects and/or inputs various contactinformation, such as a name, physical address, phone number, e-mailand/or website URL. In certain of these embodiments, the developer mayalso customize the layout, design and/or features of the contactsmodule. This information is then saved and/or updated for the mobile appat step 609. For example, in certain embodiments, the developer'sselections and inputs may be stored in a database, such as by creatingor updating an entry in a modules table in a similar manner to thatdescribed in connection with FIG. 4.

FIG. 10 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including a contacts manageraccessed by a developer through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certain of theseembodiments, such as where the mobile development and distributionplatform is accessed through a web based service, the contacts managermay be displayed to developers in the form of a graphical user interfaceusing one or more web pages, such as within development window 110and/or content window 112 illustrated in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 10,the application development environment includes contacts manager window610, which allows the developer to select, input and/or modify variouscontact information associated with the contacts module. Contactsmanager window 610 may include a number of sub-windows, such as addresssub-window 611 shown in FIG. 10. The developer may enter physicaladdress information into address form fields 612 included in addresssub-window 611, such as street, city, zip, etc. In certain embodiments,address sub-window 611 may include updated button 613 and maprepresentation 614 as shown in FIG. 10, which allow the developer toview the location of the address on a map. In certain embodiments,contacts manager window 610 may include various other sub-windows, suchas a phone number sub-window, e-mail address sub-window, and/or websitesub-window, which allow the developer to enter additional contactinformation for the contacts module.

As shown in FIG. 10, in certain embodiments, such as where theapplication development environment includes device representation 116,device representation 116 may include a representation of the display ofcontacts module within the display of a mobile device. For example, thecontacts module displayed through device representation 116 may includecontacts module sub-windows 615-618, which display the address, phonenumber, email, and website contact information, respectively, based onthe information entered by the developer through contacts display window610. In certain embodiments, contacts module sub-windows may include oneor more buttons and/or selectable areas, which allow an end user tointeract with the contact information as discussed below.

In accordance with certain of these embodiments, when an end userdownloads, installs and/or runs a mobile app having a contacts moduledeveloped through the mobile development and deployment platform, thecontacts module may be displayed on the end user's mobile devicedisplay. For example, the end user may access the contacts module toview certain contact information associated with the app, such as thedeveloper's or a third-party's address, phone number, e-mail addressand/or website. In certain embodiments, the contacts module may includea map sub-window, which displays the location of the contact's address.In connection with certain of these embodiments, the map window may relyon a pre-existing map functionality and/or platform that is availablethrough the end user's mobile device and/or the mobile device'soperating system, such as Google Maps or Bing Maps.

In certain embodiments, the mobile app and/or contacts module may allowthe end user to interact with certain portions of the content displayedthrough the contacts module. For example, in response to the end userselecting the phone number, such as by tapping on the mobile devicedisplay, the contacts module may cause the mobile device to dial thedisplayed phone number. As another example, in response to the end userselecting the email address, the contacts module may launch apreexisting email application on the mobile device and/or open a newe-mail message with the displayed email address pre-filled in the ‘To’field. Similarly, in response to the end user selecting the website, thecontacts module may open an in-app web browser or a separate preexistingbrowser available on the mobile device and direct the browser to thedisplayed web address or URL. As yet another example, in response to theend user selecting the physical address or the map, the contacts modulemay open a preexisting map application with the displayed addresspre-filled in the “search” or “to” fields. In certain embodiments, thecontact module and/or mobile app may present the end user with an optionto add the contact information to a preexisting contacts list ordatabase on the end user's mobile device.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing anelectronic book module for inclusion in a mobile app developed throughthe mobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. In certain embodiments, developers may include anelectronic books module in their apps, such as to allow end users toaccess and view one or more digital books, essays, short stories orother similar literary works. As shown in FIG. 11, at step 620, thedeveloper may select an option to add an electronic book module to anapp or edit an existing electronic book module. In response, at step621, the mobile development and deployment platform may activate anelectronic book manager. The electronic book manager is responsible forpresenting the developer with various options associated with inputtingor uploading one or more digital works and designing and customizing theelectronic book module. At step 622, the developer is prompted toselect, upload and/or input one or more digital works. For example, thedeveloper may upload one or more source files (e.g., PDF or EPUB files)from a local computer, such as developer computer 100 shown in FIG. 1.Alternatively, or in addition, the developer may specify a networklocation (e.g., a URL) where the digital work or works are located. Incertain of these embodiments, the digital works may then be accessedfrom a remote source when the app is launched, such as a web server ordatabase server. At step 623, the developer is then prompted to selectand/or input various information associated with the digital work, suchas a title, table of contents, book-marks and/or other similarinformation. In certain embodiments, the developer may also customizethe layout, design and/or features of the contacts module, such astext-search, fonts, text size, and night-reading capability Thisinformation is then saved and/or updated for the mobile app at step 624in a similar manner to that described in connection with FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including an electronic bookmanager accessed by a developer through the mobile development anddistribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certainof these embodiments, such as where the mobile development anddistribution platform is accessed through a web based service, theelectronic book manager may be displayed to developers in a similarmanner to the display of the contacts manager described above. Inaccordance with certain of these embodiments, the electronic bookmanager may include various windows and sub-windows, which allow thedeveloper to select, input, upload and/or modify various informationassociated with the electronic book module, such as book source files,titles, table of contents, and other related content and features. Incertain embodiments, the electronic book manager may be responsible formanaging a plurality of available books input and/or uploaded by thedeveloper and displaying the books on a mobile device when an end userdownloads and/or launches the app.

As shown in FIG. 12, in certain embodiments, such as where theapplication development environment includes a representation of amobile device, device representation 116 may include a representation ofthe display of the electronic book module within the display of a mobiledevice. The electronic book module may include book header 626, whichdisplays the title of the book and/or may include one or more buttons,such as a “back” button used to return to the main menu of the app, asdepicted in FIG. 12. In certain of these embodiments, such as where theelectronic book module includes a number of books, the main menu mayallow an end user to search and/or view the available book and select aparticular book to read. As shown in FIG. 12, the electronic book modulemay display the content of one or more books in book text window 627. Incertain embodiments, the electronic book module may take advantage offeatures present in certain mobile devices (e.g., touch screens) toallow end users to scroll through the book content, such as by“flicking” the mobile device display screen. In certain embodiments, theelectronic book module may also, or alternatively, include booknavigation bar 628 which allows end users to navigate through the bookby selecting or pressing one or more buttons. As shown in FIG. 12, booknavigation bar 628 may display an indication of the location within thebook of the content that is currently being displayed, such as thechapter and page number and/or a visual display of how much of the bookhas been read, such as a progress bar or percentage.

In certain embodiments, such as is illustrated in FIG. 12, theelectronic book module includes book menu bar 629, which may containvarious buttons or icons that allow an end user to access additionalfeatures, content and/or options associated with the book. For example,book menu bar 629 may include a button that allows the end user to viewa table of contents for the book and/or set and view one or morebook-marks to quickly navigate to a particular chapter, section, etc.within the book. As another example, book menu bar 629 may include abutton that allows the end user to switch between a normal mode and anight reading mode, such as by swapping the background and/or textcolors, for easier reading in the dark. As another example, book menubar 629 may include a button that allows the end user to search forwords or phrases in the book using a text search feature. In certain ofthese embodiments, after performing the search, matching items may beemphasized in the text, such as by highlighting the matching words orphrases. As yet another example, book menu bar 629 may include a buttonthat allows the end user to select or modify the display of the bookcontent, such as the font type, color and size.

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing aninteractive book module for inclusion in a mobile app developed throughthe mobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. In certain embodiments, developers may add an interactivebooks module to their apps, such as in order to upload (from theircomputer or from a URL) images, animations, narration audio, and soundfiles to create an interactive book and provide end users with access tothe interactive book. As shown in FIG. 13, at step 630, the developermay select an option to add an interactive book module to an app or editan existing interactive book module. In response, at step 631, themobile development and deployment platform may activate an interactivebook manager to allow the developer to create and customize aninteractive book module. In certain of these embodiments, such as wherethe mobile development and distribution platform is accessed through aweb based service, the interactive book manager may be displayed todevelopers in a similar manner to the display of the contacts managerdescribed above. In certain embodiments, after accessing the interactivebook manager, the developer may be prompted to input and/or selectvarious properties for the interactive book, such as a name, layout,etc.

At step 632, a determination is made as to whether the developer wantsto add a new page to the interactive book, such as by the developerclicking an “add page” button. If so, at step 633 the developer isprompted to input or upload a source file for the new page, such as byuploading one or more source files (e.g., PDF, EPUB, or image files)from a local computer and/or specifying a network location (e.g., a URL)where the source files are located, and flow proceeds to step 634. Ifthe developer does not want to add a new page, a determination is madeat step 638 as to whether the developer wants to edit an existing pagein the interactive book, such as by presenting the developer with, andprompting the developer to select from, a list of the existing pages. Ifthe developer selects an existing page to edit (or is in the process ofadding a new page) at step 634 the developer is prompted to select,modify, upload, and/or input one or more animation images to be includedin the page. Similarly, at steps 635 and 636, the developer is promptedto select, modify, upload, and/or input one or more animation audiofiles and narration audio files, respectively, to be included in thepage. At step 637 the developer is then prompted to select, modify,upload and/or input a music file. In certain embodiments, the music filemay be associated with the interactive book as a whole or with one ormore particular pages.

In certain embodiments the interactive book manager may retrieve anddisplay certain pre-defined animation images, animation audio files,narration audio files and/or music files which are displayed to thedeveloper and can be selected by the developer in connection with steps634-637. After selecting and inputting the various options for the page,flow returns to step 632 and the developer may select an option to add anew page to, and/or edit an existing page in, the interactive book. Ifthe developer has completed the interactive book, at step 639 thedeveloper's selections, inputs, and uploads are saved and/or updated forthe mobile app, such as in a similar manner to that described inconnection with FIG. 9. In accordance with certain embodiments, thedeveloper may be able to create an interactive book based on an existingdigital book or other literary work, such as by selecting, inputtingand/or uploading a background image, narration, music or other audiofiles, and video or animation files and/or inputting or uploading textto modify or customize the digital book in a similar manner to thatdescribed above.

FIG. 14 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofa mobile app having a interactive book module, developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. As shown in FIG. 14, the interactive book module maydisplay one or more books as well as other content, attributes and/orinput options associated with the interactive books in interactive bookdisplay window 640, which may be displayed within a portion or theentirety of the display of a mobile device when the mobile app isexecuted. In certain embodiments, the end user may navigate through theinteractive book using one or more buttons. The end user may be allowedto select or modify certain options, such as muting the backgroundmusic. In certain embodiments, the interactive book may include certainhotspots that, when selected by an end user, such as by touching theappropriate portion of the display screen, present additional content(e.g., animations, narrations or sounds) to the end user.

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing anevents module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments.In certain embodiments, developers may add an events module to theirapps, such as in order to create and modify a menu-based list of eventsand to add, customize, select and/or modify certain features, contentand options associated with the events. As shown in FIG. 15, at step642, the developer may select an option to add an events module to anapp or edit an existing events module. In response, at step 643, themobile development and deployment platform may activate an eventsmanager to allow the developer to create and customize an events modulefor the app.

At step 644, the developer is prompted to select and/or input variousdisplay options associated with the events, such as the layout of theevents, the order in which to display the events and categories in whichto group certain events. At step 645 a determination is made as towhether the developer wants to add a new event to the events list oredit an existing event. If so, at step 646 the developer is prompted toselect and/or input various information for the event, such as a name,description, date and time, and/or location for each event. Similarly,at step 647, the developer is prompted to provide an image file for theevent, such as by uploading a file from a local computer or specifying anetwork location (e.g., a URL) where the file is located. In certainembodiments the events manager may retrieve and display certainpre-defined images, which may be selected by the developer for use withthe event. After creating, updating, and/or customizing the event, flowreturns to step 645 and the developer can select an option to add a new,or edit an existing, event. If the developer does not want to add oredit an event, at step 648 the developer's selections, inputs, anduploads are saved and/or updated for the mobile app, such as in asimilar manner to that described in connection with FIG. 9.

FIG. 16 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including an events manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certain of theseembodiments, such as where the mobile development and distributionplatform is accessed through a web based service, the events manager maybe displayed in a manner similar to the display of the contacts managerdescribed above. As shown in FIG. 16, the application developmentenvironment includes events manager window 649, which allows thedeveloper to create and customize a list of events. Events managerwindow may include one or more buttons, such as add event button 650,which allows the developer to create a new event. Events manager window649 also includes event form fields 652, which allow the developer toinput and/or select various information for the event such as a name,date, location, etc., as well as event image selector 651, which allowsthe developer to select, input and/or upload an image for the event.

As shown in FIG. 16, in certain embodiments, such as where theapplication development environment includes a representation of the appon a mobile device, device representation 116 may include arepresentation of the display of the events module within the display ofthe mobile device. For example, the contacts module displayed throughdevice representation 116 may include various sub-windows, such as eventsub-window 653, which display certain information for each event, basedon the event information entered by the developer through events displaywindow 649. In certain embodiments, an end user may be able to select aparticular event, such as by clicking or touching event sub-window 653,to view additional information associated with the selected event. Asshown in FIG. 16, in certain embodiments, event sub-window 653 mayinclude reminder button 654 that allows an end user to add a reminderfor the event, such as by adding the event to a calendar (e.g., apreexisting calendar function) on the end user's mobile device. Incertain of these embodiments, the event module may rely on a preexistingcalendar or reminder functionality or feature that is available throughthe user's mobile device and/or the mobile device's operating system.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing a feedsmodule for inclusion in a mobile app developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments.In certain embodiments, developers may include a feeds module in an app,such as in order to add, format, and/or provide end users with accessto, various electronic feeds, including Facebook, Twitter and RSS feedsthrough the app. As shown in FIG. 17, at step 655, the developer mayselect an option to add a feeds module to an app or edit an existingfeeds module. In response, at step 656, the mobile development anddeployment platform may activate a feeds manager to allow the developercreate and customize the feeds module. The feeds manager is responsiblefor presenting the developer with various options associated withselecting, specifying, and or formatting the feeds to be included in thefeeds module. In certain embodiments, the developer may be prompted toselect various design options for the feeds module, such as displayorder, layout, format, etc. For example, in certain of theseembodiments, the developer may choose to have the feeds displayed in alist-based layout, with the most recent items presented at the top ofthe list.

At step 657, the developer is prompted to add and/or update one or morefeeds, such as by inputting one or more network locations (e.g., URLs)where the feeds can be accessed. Alternatively, or in addition, thefeeds manager may display a list of commonly accessed or popular feedsthat the developer may select to be included in the feeds module. Incertain embodiments, these feeds may then be accessed by the feedsmodule and/or app and displayed to end users, such as when the app islaunched by an end user, and/or during execution of the app. At step658, developer's inputs and selections for the feeds module are thensaved and/or updated for the mobile app in a similar manner to thatdescribed in connection with FIG. 9.

FIG. 18 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including a feeds manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certain of theseembodiments, such as where the mobile development and distributionplatform is accessed through a web based service, the feeds manager maybe displayed in a manner similar to the display of the contacts managerdescribed above. As shown in FIG. 18, the application developmentenvironment includes feeds manager window 659, which allows thedeveloper to add and format feeds. Feeds manager window 659 may includefeed input field 660 into which the developer may input the URL ornetwork address for a feed, as depicted in FIG. 18. In certainembodiments, such as where the application development environmentincludes a representation of the app on a mobile device, devicerepresentation 116 may include a representation of the display of thefeeds module within the display of the mobile device. As shown in FIG.18, the feeds module displayed through device representation 116 mayinclude various feed items, such as RSS feed item 661, which displaycertain information, such as a headline and timestamp, for each feeditems.

In certain embodiments, an end user who has downloaded and launched anapp containing the feeds module may be able to select a particular feeditem, such as by clicking or touching RSS feed item 661, to view fullcontent associated with the feed item. In certain embodiments, the enduser may be able to modify various other settings associated with thefeeds module, such as the layout, order, and/or format of the feeditems.

FIG. 19 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing a formsmodule for inclusion in a mobile app developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments.In certain embodiments, developers may add forms module to their apps,such as to create and modify a simple form for end user input throughthe mobile app. As shown in FIG. 19, at step 662, the developer mayselect an option to add a forms module to an app or edit an existingforms module. In response, at step 663 the mobile development anddeployment platform may activate a forms manager to allow the developerto create and customize a forms module for the app.

At step 664, the developer is prompted to select and/or input variousproperties for the form, such as a form title, introductory text, and/ora layout for the form. At step 665 a determination is then made as towhether the developer wants to add a field to the form. If so, at step666 the developer is prompted to select the type of field to be added,such as form text, form fields, text box fields, multiple choice fields,drop down list fields, and text area fields, etc., and flow proceeds tostep 667 In certain embodiments, the developer may be given the optionto create a custom field. If the developer does not want to add a newfield, a determination is then made at step 668 as to whether thedeveloper wants to edit an existing field, such as by the developerselecting a previously added field. If so, at 667 the developer isprompted to input and/or upload the content for the field, and/or selectvarious options associated with the field, such as format, size, etc.After creating and customizing the field, flow returns to step 665 andthe developer may add new and/or edit existing fields. If the developerdoes not want to add or edit any more fields, at step 669 thedeveloper's selections, inputs, and uploads are saved and/or updated forthe mobile app, such as in a similar manner to that described inconnection with FIG. 9.

FIG. 20 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including a forms manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certain of theseembodiments, such as where the mobile development and distributionplatform is accessed through a web based service, the forms manager maybe displayed in a manner similar to the display of the contacts managerdescribed above. As shown in FIG. 20, the application developmentenvironment includes form manager window 670, which allows the developerto create and customize an input form. Form manager window 670 mayinclude one or more buttons, such as add field button 671, which allowsthe developer to add a new field to the form. Form manager window 670may also include various form selection fields, such as intro text field673, which allow the developer to input content and/or select variousoptions for the form and its fields. In certain embodiments, asillustrated in FIG. 20, form manager window 670 may include formdelivery fields 672, which allows the developer to input the location,e.g., e-mail address, to which submissions of the form should bedelivered, along with other related options, such as specifying asubject for the e-mails.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device,device representation 116 may include a representation of the display ofthe forms module within the display of the mobile device. As shown inFIG. 20, the forms module displayed through device representation 116may include various form fields, such as text area 674, which correspondto the selections and inputs made by the developer in form managerwindow 670. In certain embodiments, the developer may specify that oneor more of the form fields are required. In certain of theseembodiments, the forms module may indicate such required fields bydisplaying an asterisk or similar designation next to the requiredfield. As shown in FIG. 20, the forms module may include one or morebuttons, such as submit button 675, which allows an end user to submitthe form when completed. In certain embodiments, the forms module maycheck whether all required fields have been input or selected prior toallowing the end user to submit the form. FIG. 20A is a pictorialdiagram illustrating a portion of the display of an app including aforms module developed through the mobile development and distributionplatform and executing on a mobile device, in accordance with certainembodiments.

FIG. 21 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing an HTMLmodule for inclusion in a mobile app developed through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform, according to certain embodiments.In certain embodiments, developers may include an HTML module, such asto create and modify simple HTML content (e.g., a webpage) to beincluded in the mobile app. As shown in FIG. 21, at step 676, thedeveloper may select an option to add an HTML module to an app or editan existing HTML module. In response, at step 677, the mobiledevelopment and deployment platform may activate an HTML manager toallow the developer create and customize the HTML module. The HTMLmanager is responsible for presenting the developer with various optionsassociated with inputting, uploading, creating, and customizing certainfeatures, content and options for the HTML page and/or generating andmanaging the corresponding HTML code. At step 678, the developer mayinput, select and/or upload various content and options for the HTMLpage. For example, the developer may enter and format text to appear onthe page, upload images, and select various layout options. At step 679,developer's inputs and selections for the HTML module are then savedand/or updated for the mobile app in a similar manner to that describedin connection with FIG. 9.

FIG. 22 is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofan application development environment including an HTML manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certain of theseembodiments, such as where the mobile development and distributionplatform is accessed through a web based service, the HTML manager maybe displayed in a manner similar to the display of the contacts managerdescribed above. As shown in FIG. 22, the application developmentenvironment includes HTML manager window 680, which allows the developerto create and customize the HTML page. In certain of these embodiments,the HTML manager window may be in the form of a WYSIWYG (what you see iswhat you get) editor.

HTML manager window 680 includes content input box 682 into which thedeveloper may enter various content directly, such as by typing text andpasting images, as depicted in FIG. 22. HTML manager window 680 alsoincludes text editor menu 681, as illustrated in FIG. 22, that includesvarious options to add to and customize the HTML content, such asformatting settings for text, such as font type, size, emphasis, color,and alignment and uploading images and other media content. For example,the developer may select an option to have text wrap around one or moreimages included in the HTML page. In certain of these embodiments, texteditor menu 681 may be displayed only when the user selects text toedit. In certain embodiments, the HTML module may include an editpicture feature which allows the developer to upload or specify thelocation of one or more images and/or modify the images to be includedin the HTML page.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device,device representation 116 may include a representation of the display ofthe HTML module within the display of the mobile device. As shown inFIG. 22, the HTML module displayed through device representation 116 mayupdated and display the current HTML page based on the input andselections made by the developer in HTML manager window 680. In certainembodiments, when an end user has downloaded and launched an appcontaining the HTML module, the HTML module may be responsible forrendering and displaying the HTML content on the end user's mobiledevice.

FIG. 23 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing a linksmodule for a mobile app developed through the mobile development anddistribution platform, according to certain embodiments. In certainembodiments, developers may include a links module in an app, such as inorder to link and provide end users with access to external websites,social networking sites, files and/or other resources through the mobileapp. As shown in FIG. 23, at step 683, the developer may select anoption to add a links module to an app or edit an existing links module.In response, at step 684, the mobile development and deployment platformmay activate a links manager to allow the developer create and customizethe links module. The links manager is responsible for presenting thedeveloper with various options associated with selecting, specifying,and/or formatting the links to be included in the links module. Incertain embodiments, the developer may be prompted to select variousdesign options for the links module, such as an order for displaying thelinks, a layout, various formatting options, etc. For example, incertain of these embodiments, the developer may choose to have the linksdisplayed in a list-based layout or as one or more pages of iconsrepresenting the links.

At step 685, a determination is made as to whether the developer wantsto add a new, or edit an existing, link. If so, the developer isprompted to add and/or update the link, such as by inputting one or morenetwork locations (e.g., URLs) where the linked resource can beaccessed. For example, the developer may create links to a webpage,social networking site, PDF document, text document, presentation, imagefile, video file, or spreadsheet. In certain embodiments the developermay be able to upload a file from the developer's computer, which canthen be stored by the mobile development and deployment platform andlinked to within the links module. In certain embodiments, the linksmanager may display a list of commonly accessed or popular websites,such as social networking websites, that the developer may select to beincluded in the links module. In addition to specifying the location ofthe link, the developer may be prompted to select, input and/or uploadvarious other information for the links, such as a name, description,and/or icon image. After adding and/or updating the link, flow returnsto step 685. Once the developer has finished adding and/or editing thelinks for the links module, at step 687 the developer's inputs andselections for the links module are then saved and/or updated for themobile app in a similar manner to that described in connection with FIG.9.

FIGS. 24 and 25 are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of an application development environment including a linksmanager accessed by developers through the mobile development anddistribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certainof these embodiments, such as where the mobile development anddistribution platform is accessed through a web based service, the linksmanager may be displayed in a manner similar to the display of thecontacts manager described above. As shown in FIG. 24, the applicationdevelopment environment includes links manager window 688, which allowsthe developer to add and format links. Links manager window 688 mayinclude link input field 689 into which the developer may input thelocation for the link, such as a local file, URL or network address, asdepicted in FIG. 24. In certain of these embodiments, the developer maybe prompted to specify whether the link is for a resource that existslocally on the developer's computer or for an external website orresource.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 25, the application development environmentincludes social links manager window 690, which allows the developer toadd and format links to social networking web pages. Social linksmanager window 690 may include social link input fields 691 whichpresent a list of commonly used social networking websites and allow thedeveloper to input the location to be linked to within such websites, asdepicted in FIG. 24. In certain of these embodiments, the developer maybe allowed to input a link to other websites not included in the list.In certain embodiments, the social links manager may associate apredefined icon image for each social link. Alternatively, or inaddition, the developer may be able to select, modify and/or upload anicon image for the social links.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device asshown in FIGS. 24 and 25, device representation 116 may include arepresentation of the display of the links module within the display ofthe mobile device. As shown in FIG. 25, the links module displayedthrough device representation 116 may include a number of iconsrepresenting the social links, such as Facebook link icon 692, whichallow end users to access the link, such as by clicking on or touchingthe icon.

In certain embodiments, such as where a link provides access to aresource file (e.g., PDF document, text document, presentation, imagefile, video file, or spreadsheet), the links module may prompt thedeveloper to input or select the file type for the linked data and/or apreferred application (e.g., viewer or editor) in which to open theresource. In certain of these embodiments, when an end user who hasdownloaded the app selects a link to such resources, the links modulemay launch a separate and/or preexisting viewer or editor available onthe end user's mobile device in order to access and display the datareferenced by the link. For example, the links module may launch aspreadsheet viewer in response to an end user selects a link tospreadsheet data, such as the chart data and pie-chart data depicted inFIG. 23A. As another example, the links module may launch an imageviewer in response to the end user selecting a link to an image file ormay launch a web browser in response to the user selecting a link to awebpage. In certain of these embodiments, the links module and/or mobileapp may access a third-party service (e.g., Google Docs) to processand/or display the linked data.

FIG. 26 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing aphotos or videos module for inclusion in a mobile app developed throughthe mobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. In certain embodiments, developers may add a photos and/orvideos module to their apps, such as to add, upload, select and/ormodify a series of photos, images, videos and/or other animated contentor media to the app. As shown in FIG. 26, at step 693, the developer mayselect an option to add a photos or videos module to an app or edit anexisting photos or videos module. In response, at step 694 the mobiledevelopment and deployment platform may activate a photos or videosmanager to allow the developer to create and customize a photos orvideos module for the app. At step 695, the developer may be prompted toselect and/or input various properties and design options for the photosor videos, such as introductory text, and/or a layout for the photos orvideos. For example, the developer may select and/or create a layoutused to display the photos or videos, such as a slideshow, list view,icon view, or scrolling view.

At step 696 a determination is then made as to whether the developerwants to add a new photo or video. If so, at step 697 the developer isprompted to select and/or upload the location of the photo or videofile, and flow proceeds to step 698. In certain of these embodiments,the developer may add photos or videos by uploading them from thedeveloper's computer, inputting a URL and/or specifying the location ofa third-party photo or video sharing service. If the developer does notwant to add a new photo or video, a determination is then made at step699 as to whether the developer wants to edit an existing photo orvideo, such as by the developer selecting a previously added photo orvideo. If so, at step 698 the developer is prompted to input and/orselect various options associated with the photo or video, such as aname, description, icon image, size, etc. In certain embodiments, thedeveloper may be able to edit the photo or video using an editorprovided through the mobile development and deployment platform. Aftercreating and customizing the photo or video, flow returns to step 695and the developer may add new and/or edit existing photos or videos. Ifthe developer does not want to add or edit any more photos or videos, atstep 700 the developer's selections, inputs, and uploads are savedand/or updated for the mobile app, such as in a similar manner to thatdescribed in connection with FIG. 9.

FIGS. 27 and 28 are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of an application development environment including a photos orvideos manager accessed by developers through the mobile development anddistribution platform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certainof these embodiments, such as where the mobile development anddistribution platform is accessed through a web based service, thephotos or videos manager may be displayed in a manner similar to thedisplay of the contacts manager described above. As shown in FIG. 26,the application development environment includes photos manager window701, which allows the developer to add and format photos or otherimages. Photos manager window 701 may include add photo button 702,which the developer may select to add a new photo, and photo selectorfields 703 into which the developer may input the location, name and/ordescription for the photo, as depicted in FIG. 24. In certainembodiments, as shown in FIG. 27, photos manager window 701 may includephoto layout selector 704, such as in the form of a drop down list,which allows the developer to select a layout from a list of predefinedlayouts for the photos. In certain of these embodiments, the developermay alternatively, or additionally, create a custom layout or modify apredefined layout for the photos.

Similarly, as shown in FIG. 28, the application development environmentincludes videos manager window 706, which allows the developer to addand format videos or other animated content. Videos manager window 706may include add video button 707, video selector fields 708 and/or videolayout selector 709, which allow the developer to select and inputvarious information for the videos in a similar manner as described inconnection with the photos manager window described above.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device asshown in FIGS. 27 and 28, device representation 116 may include arepresentation of the display of the photos or videos module within thedisplay of the mobile device. As shown in FIG. 27, the photos moduledisplayed through device representation 116 may include a number ofsub-windows representing the photos or images, such as photo sub-window705, which may display certain information for each photo (e.g., icon,description, etc.) and/or allow end users to select and access the fullphoto or image, such as by clicking on or touching the photosub-windows. Likewise, as shown in FIG. 28, the videos module displayedthrough device representation 116 may include a number of sub-windowsrepresenting the videos or animated content, such as video sub-window710, which may display certain information for each video (e.g., icon,description, etc.) and/or allow end users to select and access the fullvideo, such as by clicking on or touching the video sub-windows.

FIGS. 27A and 28A are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of a photos or videos module on the display of a mobile device,according to certain embodiments. As shown in FIG. 27A, the photosmodule may display a plurality of photos and/or images, which may bedisplayed as a slideshow that allows the end user to browse through andselect the photos. As shown in FIG. 28A, the videos module may display aplurality of videos and/or animated content, which may be displayed in atiled manner that shows one or more frames of each video and allows theend user to browse through the videos and select a video to view. Incertain of these embodiments, the photos or videos module may takeadvantage of certain functionality available through the end user'smobile device, such as by allowing the user to flick the display screenof the mobile device to browse through the photos or videos.

FIG. 29 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing asoundboard module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. In certain embodiments, developers may add a soundboardmodule to their apps, such as to developers to add, upload, selectand/or modify a series of sounds or other audio content than an end usercan quickly navigate to and play through the app. As shown in FIG. 28,at step 711, the developer may select an option to add a soundboardmodule to an app or edit an existing soundboard module. In response, atstep 712 the mobile development and deployment platform may activate asoundboard manager to allow the developer to create and customize asoundboard module for the app. At step 713, the developer may beprompted to select and/or input various properties and design optionsfor the sounds, such as introductory text, a background image, and/or alayout for the sounds. For example, the developer may select or create alayout used to display the sounds, such as a list view, icon view, orscrolling view, and/or select or modify the display order of the sounds.

At step 714 a determination is then made as to whether the developerwants to add a new sound. If so, at step 715 the developer is promptedto upload an audio file and/or select or input the location of the audiofile, and flow proceeds to step 716. In certain of these embodiments,the developer may add sounds or audio content by uploading the filesfrom the developer's computer or inputting a URL or other networklocation. If the developer does not want to add a new sound, adetermination is then made at step 717 as to whether the developer wantsto edit an existing sound, such as by the developer selecting apreviously added sound. If so, at step 716 the developer is prompted toinput and/or select various options associated with the sound, such as aname, description, icon image, etc. After creating and customizing thesound, flow returns to step 714 and the developer may add new and/oredit existing sounds. If the developer does not want to add or edit anymore sounds, at step 718 the developer's selections, inputs, and uploadsare saved and/or updated for the mobile app, such as in a similar mannerto that described in connection with FIG. 9.

FIG. 30 is pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anapplication development environment including a soundboard manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certain of theseembodiments, such as where the mobile development and distributionplatform is accessed through a web based service, the soundboard managermay be displayed in a manner similar to the display of the contactsmanager described above. As shown in FIG. 30, the applicationdevelopment environment includes soundboard manager window 719, whichallows the developer to add and format sounds for the soundboard module.Soundboard manager window 719 may include add sound button 720, whichthe developer may select to add a new sound, and soundboard backgroundselector 721, which allows the developer to select and/or upload abackground for the soundboard module, as depicted in FIG. 30. In certainembodiments, soundboard manager window 719 may include various othersound input fields, which allow the developer to select and/or uploadaudio files for the sounds and input corresponding information, such asa name, icon image, and description.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device asshown in FIG. 30, device representation 116 may include a representationof the display of the soundboard module within the display of the mobiledevice. As shown in FIG. 30, the soundboard module displayed throughdevice representation 116 may include a number of icons representing thesounds, such as sound icon 722, which may display certain informationfor each sound (e.g., image, name, description, etc.) and/or allow endusers to select and play the sound, such as by clicking on or touchingthe sound icons.

FIG. 30A is a pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display ofa soundboard module on the display of a mobile device, according tocertain embodiments. As shown in FIG. 30A, the soundboard module maydisplay a plurality of sounds within a portion or the entirety of thedisplay of a mobile device when the mobile app is executed. In certainembodiments, the sounds may be displayed in a tiled manner, as depictedin FIG. 30A, and/or may auto-paginate based on the number of soundspresented on the display of the mobile device.

FIG. 31 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing astickers module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. In certain embodiments, developers may add a stickersmodule to their apps, such as to create, upload, select and/or modify aset of stickers or other images and content that end users may place oncertain photos or images (e.g., backgrounds) through the mobile app. Asshown in FIG. 31, at step 725, the developer may select an option to adda stickers module to an app or edit an existing stickers module. Inresponse, at step 726 the mobile development and deployment platform mayactivate a stickers manager to allow the developer to create andcustomize a stickers module for the app. In certain embodiments, thestickers manager is responsible for presenting the developer withvarious options associated with inputting, uploading, selecting and/orcustomizing the stickers, as well as their layout and order. Forexample, the developer may select or create a layout used to display thebackground images and/or stickers, such as a list view, icon view, orscrolling view, and/or select or modify their display order.

At step 727, a determination is made as to whether the developer wantsto add a background image to the stickers module or edit an existingbackground image. If so, at step 728, the developer is prompted toupload an image file (e.g., from the developer's computer), input a URLor other network location for the image file and/or select a predefinedimage file presented through the stickers manager. In certainembodiments, the developer may be prompted to select and/or inputvarious properties and options for the backgrounds, such as a name,description and icon image. Flow then returns to step 727. If thedeveloper does not want to add or edit a background image, at step 729 adetermination is made as to whether the developer wants to add a stickerto the stickers module or edit an existing sticker. If so, at step 730,the developer is prompted to upload an image file (e.g., from thedeveloper's computer), input a URL or other network location for theimage file and/or select a predefined image file presented through thestickers manager. In certain embodiments, the developer may be promptedto select and/or input various properties and options for the stickers,such as a name, description and icon image. Flow then returns to step727. After the developer is finished adding and/or editing thebackgrounds and stickers, at step 731 the developer's selections,inputs, and uploads are saved and/or updated for the mobile app, such asin a similar manner to that described in connection with FIG. 9.

For example, in certain embodiments, the stickers module includes“PicWith” or similar functionality, which may utilize images uploaded orselected by the developer during the mobile app creation process and/orimages selected by the end user (e.g., downloaded, received throughemail or text message, or taken by a camera included on the end user'smobile device). In certain of these embodiments, one of the imagesuploaded and provided by the developer may be selected by end-users as aforeground image for use with a background image also chosen by the enduser. The stickers module may allow the end user to merge or combine theforeground and background images together, such as to create theappearance of a single image. In certain embodiments, the end user maythen save the merged image, send the merged image to other individuals(e.g., via email or text message) and/or upload and post the mergedimage to a website, such as a social networking site.

FIG. 32 is pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anapplication development environment including a stickers manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certain of theseembodiments, such as where the mobile development and distributionplatform is accessed through a web based service, the stickers managermay be displayed in a manner similar to the display of the contactsmanager described above. As shown in FIG. 32, the applicationdevelopment environment includes stickers manager window 732, whichallows the developer to add, modify and customize backgrounds andstickers for the stickers module. Stickers manager window 732 mayinclude one or more buttons such as background library button 733 andsticker library button 734 depicted in FIG. 32, which the developer mayselect to view the existing backgrounds and/or select and/or upload abackground or sticker for the stickers module. In certain embodiments,suck as in response to the developer selecting background library button733 and/or sticker library button 734, stickers manager window 719 maypresent the developer with one or more predefined background or stickersfor selection. As shown in FIG. 32, stickers manager window 732 mayinclude add sticker button 735, which allows the developer to uploadand/or input a network location for an image file.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device,device representation 116 may include a representation of the display ofthe stickers module within the display of the mobile device. As shown inFIG. 32, the stickers module displayed through device representation 116may include a number of icons, such as sticker icon 736 representing theavailable stickers, and one or more background images, such asbackground image 737, onto which end users may include the stickers. Incertain embodiments, the stickers module may take advantage of thefeatures present on an end user's mobile device, such as allowing theend user to drag and drop the stickers onto the background image using atouch screen on the mobile device. Similarly, in certain embodiments,end users may be able to edit and manipulate the stickers, such asshrinking or enlarging the stickers through pinch and zoom gesturesand/or rotating the stickers using a rotate gesture. In certainembodiments, end users may be able to select backgrounds and imagesstored on their mobile devices for use in the stickers module.

According to certain embodiments, after modifying background imagesthrough the stickers module, end users may store the modified imagesincluding the stickers (e.g., on their mobile device and/or at a remotenetwork location) and/or may share these modified images, such asthrough social media websites and/or via e-mail functionality availableon their mobile devices. FIG. 32A is a pictorial diagram illustrating aportion of the display of a stickers module on the display of a mobiledevice, according to certain embodiments. As shown in FIG. 32A, thestickers module may display a background image having one or morestickers added by the end user within a portion or the entirety of thedisplay of a mobile device.

FIG. 33 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing a menuor list module for a mobile app developed through the mobile developmentand distribution platform, according to certain embodiments. In certainembodiments, developers may include a menu or list module in an app,such as in order to create, upload, select and/or modify a menu or listof items (e.g. a restaurant menu or employee list) to be included inmobile app. As shown in FIG. 23, at step 740, the developer may selectan option to add a menu or list module to an app or edit an existingmenu or list module. In response, at step 741, the mobile developmentand deployment platform may activate a menu or list manager to allow thedeveloper create and customize the menu or list module. The menu or listmanager is responsible for presenting the developer with various optionsassociated with selecting, specifying, and/or formatting the menu itemsand/or list items to be included in the menu or list module. At step742, the developer may be prompted to select various design options forthe menu or list module, such as an order for displaying the items, alayout, one or more categories, and various formatting options, etc. Forexample, in certain of these embodiments, the developer may choose tohave the items displayed in a list-based layout or as one or more pagescontaining categories of items.

At step 743, a determination is made as to whether the developer wantsto add a new, or edit an existing, menu or list item. If so, thedeveloper is prompted to select, modify, and/or input variousinformation for the item, such as a name, price, description and/orsuggested complimentary items. At step 744, the developer may beprompted to add or modify an icon image for the item, such as byuploading a file from the developer's computer, selecting a predefinedimage, or inputting a network location for the image. Flow then returnsto step 743. Once the developer has finished adding and/or editing theitems for the menu or list module, at step 745 the developer's inputsand selections for the menu or links module are then saved and/orupdated for the mobile app in a similar manner to that described inconnection with FIG. 9.

FIG. 34 is pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anapplication development environment including a list manager accessed bydevelopers through the mobile development and distribution platform inaccordance with certain embodiments. In certain of these embodiments,such as where the mobile development and distribution platform isaccessed through a web based service, the list manager may be displayedin a manner similar to the display of the contacts manager describedabove. As shown in FIG. 34, the application development environmentincludes list manager window 747, which allows the developer to add,modify and customize list items and customize their layout. List managerwindow 747 may include one or more buttons such as add item button 748depicted in FIG. 34, which the developer may select to add a new item.In certain embodiments, such as in response to the developer selectingadd item button 748, list manager window 747 may present one or morebuttons and/or input fields, such as item image button 749 and iteminput fields 750 depicted in FIG. 34, which allow the developer toselect, upload and/or input various information for the item including aname, description and icon image.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device,device representation 116 may include a representation of the display ofthe menu or list module within the display of the mobile device. Asshown in FIG. 34, the list module displayed through devicerepresentation 116 may include a number of sub-windows, such as listitem sub-window 751, which present various information associated withthe list items to end users and allow the end users to browse throughand/or select the list items, such as to view additional information orpurchase the list item.

According to certain embodiments, the developer may use a menu or listmodule to create various menus or lists, such as a restaurant or barmenu, list of products and services, list of employees, list of businessor store locations, etc. FIG. 34A is a pictorial diagram illustrating aportion of the display of a mobile app having a menu module, developedthrough the mobile development and distribution platform, according tocertain embodiments. As shown in FIG. 34A, the menu module includes anumber of restaurant menu items, which are grouped into variouscategories.

In certain of these embodiments, the developer may be able to include anecommerce or similar sub-module within the menu or list module, such asto allow end users to select and/or purchase one or more of the menuitems through the app (e.g., by submitting an order to a restaurantassociate with the app). FIGS. 34B and 34C are pictorial diagramsillustrating a portion of the display of an application developmentenvironment including an ecommerce manager accessed by developersthrough the mobile development and distribution platform in accordancewith certain embodiments. The ecommerce manager allows developers to addecommerce and in-app purchases to a menu or list module (or othermodules) included in their mobile apps, such as through a shopping cartbased ordering system. For example, if the mobile app includes a menumodule, the developer may select certain menu items to be available forpurchase by end users and create and customize an order form for usewith such items. As shown in FIG. 34B, the application developmentenvironment may include order delivery method window 752, which allowsthe developer to select various methods of delivery for items purchasedthrough the app, such as delivery, pick-up, take-out, dine-in.Similarly, as shown in FIG. 34C, the application development environmentmay include order delivery confirmation method window 753, which allowsthe developer to select various methods of confirmation for itemspurchased through the app, such as e-mail or QR code.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device,device representation 116 may include a representation of the display ofthe ecommerce sub-module within the display of the mobile device. Asshown in FIG. 34B, the ecommerce sub-module displayed through devicerepresentation 116 may include an input form based on the developersselections and inputs in order delivery method window 752, which allowend users to choose an order delivery method, and/or input variousorder-related information. As shown in FIG. 34C, the ecommercesub-module displayed through device representation 116 may include arepresentation of the order confirmation method (e.g., a QR code) basedon the developer's selections in order delivery confirmation methodwindow 753.

In accordance with certain of these embodiment, after an end userselects various items to order and purchase and/or indicates a desire tocomplete an order through a mobile app having an ecommerce sub-module,the ecommerce sub-module may display a checkout form to the end user.The checkout form may include various fields, such as form fields thatallow the end user to input certain information associated with theorder, such as the end user's name, e-mail, address, and a time for theorder. In certain embodiments, such as where the mobile app isassociated with a restaurant, the order form may include a menu whichallows the end user to select the ordering method (e.g., delivery,take-out, dine-in). In certain of these embodiments, the mobile app maypresent a separate window, such as pop-up window, to prompt the end userto select the ordering method. In certain of these embodiments, afterthe end user inputs and/or submits the order information, the ecommercesub-module may prompt the end user to select a method for orderprocessing and confirmation, such as an e-mail or QR code confirmation.In certain of these embodiments, the mobile app may display thisselection to the end user in a separate window, such as an orderprocessing pop-up window. If the end user selects to receive a QR codeconfirmation, the QR code may be displayed to the end user on thedisplay of the mobile device.

FIG. 35 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing acoupons module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. In certain embodiments, developers may include a couponsmodule, such as to create, customize and modify coupons, rewards or thelike to end users through the mobile app. As shown in FIG. 35, at step754, the developer may select an option to add a coupons module to anapp or edit an existing coupons module. In response, at step 755, themobile development and deployment platform may activate a couponsmanager to allow the developer create and customize the coupons module.The coupons manager is responsible for presenting the developer withvarious options associated with inputting, uploading, creating, andcustomizing certain features, content and options for the coupons and/ordelivering the coupons to end users who have downloaded the mobile app.At step 756, a determination is made as to whether the developer wantsto add a new, or edit an existing, coupon. If not, flow proceeds to step760. Otherwise, the developer is prompted to input, select and/or uploadvarious properties, content and design options for the coupon, such as atitle, description, code, and/or promotion name at step 757. In certainembodiments, the developer may be allowed to select various layout ordisplay options, such as how and where the coupon is displayed on thedisplay of a mobile device. At step 758, the developer may be promptedto select and/or input the items (e.g., products and services) to whichthe coupon applies. At step 759 the developer may then be prompted toselect and/or input various delivery options, such as the end users whoare to receive the coupons and the date, time, frequency, and/or methodof delivery. Flow then returns to step 756 to allow the developer tocontinue adding or editing coupons. Once the developer has finishedcreating and/or modifying the coupon module, at step 760, thedeveloper's inputs and selections for the coupons module are then savedor updated for the mobile app in a similar manner to that described inconnection with FIG. 9.

FIG. 36 is pictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anapplication development environment including a coupons manager accessedby developers through the mobile development and distribution platformin accordance with certain embodiments. In certain of these embodiments,such as where the mobile development and distribution platform isaccessed through a web based service, the coupons manager may bedisplayed in a manner similar to the display of the contacts managerdescribed above. As shown in FIG. 36, the application developmentenvironment includes coupons manager window 761, which allows thedeveloper to add, modify and customize coupons. Coupons manager window761 may include one or more buttons such as add coupon button 762depicted in FIG. 36, which the developer may select to add a new coupon.In certain embodiments, such as in response to the developer selectingadd coupon button 762, coupons manager window 761 may present one ormore input fields, such as coupon input fields 763 depicted in FIG. 36,which allow the developer to select, upload and/or input variousinformation for the coupon.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device,device representation 116 may include a representation of the display ofthe coupon module within the display of the mobile device. The couponmodule displayed through device representation 116 may include a numberof coupons and which allows the end users to browse through and/orselect the coupons, such as to view additional information or use thecoupon to purchase applicable items. As shown in FIG. 36, the couponmodule may display a QR code or similar code, such as QR coupon code764, associated with a coupon, which the end user may present at aphysical store in connection with making a purchase.

FIG. 37 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing adiscography module for inclusion in a mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. In certain embodiments, developers may include adiscography module, such as to provide information related to an artistand the artist's music or works of art to end users and/or allow endusers to purchase the artist's music and other related items through themobile app. As shown in FIG. 37, at step 770, the developer may selectan option to add a discography module to an app or edit an existingdiscography module. In response, at step 771, the mobile development anddeployment platform may activate a discography manager to allow thedeveloper create and customize the discography module. The discographymanager is responsible for presenting the developer with various optionsassociated with inputting, uploading, creating, and customizing certainfeatures, content and options associated with an artist or band. At step772, the developer may input, select and/or upload various informationfor the artist, such as a name, description, biography, images, andsimilar information, and/or select various design options, such as thelayout and order for displaying the artist's albums and songs.

At step 773, a determination is made as to whether the developer wantsto add a new album or edit an existing album. If so, at step 774 thedeveloper may be prompted to select and/or input various informationassociated with the album, such as a name, image, release date and/ordescription and flow returns to step 773. Otherwise, at step 775 adetermination is made as to whether the developer wants to add a newsong or edit an existing song. If so, the developer may then be promptedto select and/or input various information associated with the song atstep 776, such as a name, description, lyrics, and the album or albumswhich include the song. In certain embodiments the developer may beprompted to upload an audio file for the song and/or input the networklocation where the song may be accessed. Flow then returns to step 773.Once the developer has finished adding and/or editing albums and songs,at step 777, the developer's inputs and selections for the discographymodule are then saved and/or updated for the mobile app in a similarmanner to that described in connection with FIG. 9.

FIGS. 38 and 39 are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion of thedisplay of an application development environment including adiscography manager accessed by developers through the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform in accordance with certainembodiments. In certain of these embodiments, such as where the mobiledevelopment and distribution platform is accessed through a web basedservice, the discography manager may be displayed in a manner similar tothe display of the contacts manager described above. As shown in FIG.38, the application development environment includes discography managerwindow 778, which allows the developer to add, customize and formatvarious information associated with an artist and his or her works ofart. Discography manager window 778 may include artist profile fields779, into which the developer may input and/or select variousinformation about the artist, such as a name, image and biography andone or more buttons, such as add album button 780 which the developermay select to add a new album, as depicted in FIG. 38. In certainembodiments, such as where the developer selects add album button 780,discography manager window 778 may include album input fields 781, whichallow the developer to input and/or select various informationassociated with the album, such as a name, image and description and addtrack button 782, which allows the developer to add a song, as depictedin FIG. 39. Similarly, in certain of these embodiments, such as wherethe developer selects add track button 782, discography manager window778 may include track input fields 783, which allow the developer toinput and/or select various information associated with the song, suchas a name, description, and lyrics, and upload or select an audio filefor the song.

In certain embodiments, such as where the application developmentenvironment includes a representation of the app on a mobile device asshown in FIGS. 38 and 39, device representation 116 may include arepresentation of the display of the discography module within thedisplay of the mobile device. As shown in FIG. 38, the discographymodule displayed through device representation 116 may include artistsub-window in 784 in which information about the artist is displayed, aswell as number of sub-windows representing the artist's albums, such asalbum sub-window 785, which display certain information for each album(e.g., icon, name, etc.) and/or allow end users to select and accessadditional information abut the album, such as by clicking on ortouching the album sub-windows. As shown in FIG. 39, in certainembodiments, such as in response to the developer selecting a particularalbum, the discography module displayed through device representation116 may include an album window in which information about the album isdisplayed, as well as a number of sub-windows representing the songsincluded in the album, which may display certain information for eachsong (e.g., icon, description, etc.). In certain embodiments, the songsub-windows may include one or more buttons, such as play button 787and/or buy button 786 as depicted in FIG. 39, which allow end users toplay the song using preexisting audio output functionality available onthe end user's mobile device and/or allow end users to purchase thesong, such as by opening a link in a preexisting browser on the mobiledevice to a website where the song is available for purchase. In certainother embodiments, the developer may be able to include a purchasefeature within discography module itself, such as in a similar manner tothat described in connection with the ecommerce sub-module above.

In certain embodiments, the developer may include a quiz module thatallows developers to create and modify a quiz or trivia game to includein the mobile app. The quiz module may include a quiz manager thatallows the developer to input, select, combine and customize certainquiz items, and their content, design and layout, to be displayed by themobile app to end users. For example, the developer may include one ormore questions, which may be in various formats, such as multiplechoice, short answer, etc. FIG. 40 is a pictorial diagram illustrating aportion of a mobile device displaying a mobile app having a quiz module,developed through the mobile development and distribution platform,according to certain embodiments. After launching the mobile app onmobile device 400 and accessing a quiz module, the quiz module maydisplay a quiz to the end user within the display of the end user'smobile device. In certain embodiments, such as is illustrated in FIG.40, the quiz module may display a quiz item, such as a multiple choicequestion, to the end user, which includes quiz question 790 and multiplechoice answers 791. In certain of these embodiments, the end user mayonly be allowed to view one question at a time, answering each questionin order and progressing through the quiz on a question-by-questionbasis. In certain other embodiments, the user may be able to navigate tospecific questions and answer the questions in any desired order.

In certain embodiments, after the end user has completed the quiz theapp may rate or grade the end user's answers, such as by comparing theanswers to an answer key to determine how many questions the end useranswered correctly As shown in FIG. 40, in certain embodiments, the quizmodule may display a results page, which includes quiz results text 792that presents the results of the quiz, such as by displaying apercentage score and/or the number of questions answered correctly. Incertain of these embodiments, the results page may include play againbutton 793 which allows the end user to repeat the quiz. According tocertain embodiments, the quiz module may allow the end user to comparehis or her results with, and/or view, the results of other end users whohave taken the quiz. In certain of these embodiments, the results ofother end users may be presented in the form of a leader board orsimilar display. The end user may also, or alternatively, be allowed toview a subset of the results other end users, such as the results of theend user's friends.

In certain embodiments, the developer may include a talking friendmodule that allows developers to create, customize, and modify a“talking friend” to include in the mobile app. In certain embodiments,the talking friend module may receive speech input from an end userthrough the mobile device and output the speech in a particular voice.The talking friend module may allow the end user to interact with themodule through various buttons, gestures and/or other inputs. In certainembodiments, the talking friend module may include a friend manager thatallows the developer to input, select, combine and customize certainfeatures, options and designs for the talking friend. FIG. 41 is apictorial diagram illustrating a portion of the display of anapplication development environment including a talking friend manageraccessed by developers through the mobile development and distributionplatform in accordance with certain embodiments. In certain of theseembodiments, such as where the mobile development and distributionplatform is accessed through a web based service, the discographymanager may be displayed in a manner similar to the display of thecontacts manager described above. As shown in FIG. 41, the talkingfriend manager may present the developer with various options associatedwith creating, editing, and/or customizing the talking friend module intalking friend design window 795. Talking friend design window 795includes talking friend characteristic selectors 796, which allows thedeveloper to choose the visual and other characteristics of the talkingfriend, such as the characters head, body and arm types and talkingfriend name field 797, which allows the developer to input a name forthe talking friend. In certain of these embodiments, talking frienddesign window 795 may updated and display the current representation ofthe character in real-time as the developer makes various selections,such as in talking friend representation window 798.

In certain embodiments, the developer may select and input various otherinformation associated with the talking friend, such as a description,voice type (e.g., pitch, speed, echo) etc., as well as the actions takenand responses provided by the talking friend based on certain end userinputs. For example, the developer may select and input various audioresponses that are output in response to the end user touching orswiping the screen of the mobile device, shaking the mobile device,and/or speaking into the mobile device. In certain embodiments, the enduser may be able to record and/or share a video or audio recording ofthe end user's interactions with the talking friend, such as byuploading the video to a social media website. FIG. 42 is a pictorialdiagram illustrating a portion of the display of a mobile app having atalking friend module, developed through the mobile development anddistribution platform, according to certain embodiments. As shown inFIG. 42, the talking friend module may display one or more talkingfriends to the end user in talking friend display window 799. In certainembodiments, talking friend display window 799 may include variousbuttons that the end user may select to interact with the talkingfriends and/or to record the end user's interactions with talkingfriends.

In certain embodiments, developers may be given the option to include a“share with friends” or similar functionality in mobile apps createdand/or modified through the mobile development and deployment platform.In certain of these embodiments, the share with friends functionalityallows end users to share information (e.g., comments, reviews,suggestions) about one or more mobile apps and/or modules, or otherapplication components, design elements and/or content with otherindividuals. For example, end users may post the app or module relatedinformation to websites, such as social networking sites. As anotherexample, the end user may send this information to one or moreindividuals directly, such as through email, text messaging, or similarfunctionalities provided by the end user's mobile device. In certainembodiments, the information may include information about the mobileapp and/or module that the end user is currently viewing or accessing,as well as a message input or otherwise provided by the end user.

Other Types of Applications

While the description above has been focused on the creation, design anddeployment of applications for mobile devices, it should be understoodthat the mobile development and deployment and corresponding systems andmethods illustrated and described herein may also be used in connectionwith the creation and deployment of other types of applications in asimilar manner. For example, the mobile development and deploymentplatform and application development environment illustrated anddescribed in connection with FIGS. 1-42 could be used by developers tocreate, customize, modify and distribute web based applications, such asweb apps that are included within social networking or other websites.After creating an application through the platform, the developer may begiven the option to publish the application for the web. The platformmay then generate a form of the application that can be incorporatedwithin, and accessed through, a web page, such as by creating a flash orHTML based version of the application.

In certain embodiments, the web app may be in the form of an applicationfor social networking site, such as a Facebook app. In certain of theseembodiments, after creating the web app, the developer may be providedwith a URL or similar link that can be utilized in the social networkingsite to provide end users with access to the web app. Alternatively, orin addition, the web app may be in the form of a website widget whichallows the developer to include an interactive web app within a website,such as the developer's website that can be accessed from a web browserthrough the website. Similarly, the web app may be in the form of amobile web app that may be designed primarily for use with mobiledevices, and allows mobile device users to access the mobile web app viaa website. In certain of these embodiments, the developer may beprovided with a URL or similar link that can be placed on a website andwhich redirects mobile end users to the interactive web app. In certainembodiments, the social networking app, website widget and/or mobile webapp may mimic the functionalities of a mobile app previously orconcurrently developed by the developer through the mobile developmentand deployment platform and/or may appear to end users to be the same asor similar to the mobile app. In certain of these embodiments, thedeveloper may be presented with the option to create one or more webapps based on a mobile app created by the developer through the mobiledevelopment and deployment platform.

As another example, the mobile development and deployment platform andapplication development environment described herein could be used bydevelopers to create, customize, modify and distribute games for mobiledevices. FIGS. 43A-43C are pictorial diagrams illustrating a portion ofthe display of a game development environment that may be used bydevelopers to create, modify and customize mobile games through themobile development and distribution platform in accordance with certainembodiments. The mobile games may be created and distributed as separateapps or may be included as a module within existing apps. In certainembodiments, the game development environment may be in the form of aweb based graphical interface with similar features and functionality tothat of the mobile development environment described in connection withFIG. 2. The developer may create, modify and customize the mobile gameby selecting, inputting, combining and modifying various features,content, components, and design elements associated with the mobilegame.

In certain embodiments, the game development environment may allowdevelopers to create, customize, update, and/or deploy their ownphysics-based and/or puzzle mobile games as depicted in FIG. 43A. Incertain embodiments, the physics games created through the physics gamemodule are broken down into a combination of game objects and theirassociated actions with respect to the game background and/or other gameobjects. Based on these interactions, a game or level score or goal maybe reached by end users. In accordance with certain of theseembodiments, the developer may be allowed to create and/or selectcertain main components for the physics mobile game: backgrounds, gameobjects and game object interactions.

As shown in FIG. 43A, the game development environment may displayvarious options to the developer in connection with the design, creationand customization of a physics mobile game in a game development window,such as development window 110 depicted in FIG. 2. For example,development window 110 may include game object menu 151, which includesa list of predefined game objects that may be selected by the developer.In certain embodiments, the developer may also, or alternatively, beable to create custom game objects for inclusion in the game.Development window 110 may include game object interaction selector 152,which allows the developer to specify how certain objects interact withthe background and other game objects, such as by moving the objectsthrough the course of the game play and setting rules for theinteraction between game objects.

In certain embodiments, as shown in FIG. 43A, development window 110 maypresent the developer with a simulated display of the current state ofthe physics game in game display window 150 and/or allow the developerto “play” the game as the developer proceeds through the gamedevelopment process. In certain embodiments, development window 110 mayinclude game settings buttons 153, which allow the developer to select,upload, and/or input various settings for the game, such as uploading abackground image, and selecting various rules and scoring methods andvalues. After the developer has completed the game design anddevelopment process, the mobile game may be saved, compiled anddistributed in a manner similar to that described in connection withFIGS. 1-5. In certain of these embodiments, the mobile game may becompiled using one or more preexisting physics engines. In certain ofthese embodiments, the developer may be able to select the orientationof the mobile device display on which the mobile game is intended toexecute.

In certain embodiments, the game development environment may allowdevelopers to create their own platforming mobile games (e.g., SuperMario Brothers) as depicted in FIG. 43B. In certain of theseembodiments, the developer may allowed to create and/or select certainmain components for the platforming mobile game, including characterobjects, level objects, user interface elements, rules, interactions,and sounds. In certain of these embodiments, the developer may selectand modify various sub-objects or sub-components associated with thesemain components. For example, the developer may add a “hero” object tothe game, which the end user is intended to navigate through the game toreach a goal. As shown in FIG. 43B, in certain embodiments, the gamedevelopment environment may display various options to the developer inconnection with the design, creation and customization of a platformingmobile game and the developer may select, modify and combine the variouscomponents, design elements, and features for the game in a mannersimilar to that described above in connection with FIG. 43A.

In certain embodiments, the game development environment may allowdevelopers to create their own shooter mobile games. For example, theshooter game module may allow the developer to create side-scrollingspace shooter game, as depicted in FIG. 43C. In certain of theseembodiments, the developer may allowed to create and/or select certainmain components for the shooter mobile game, including hero objects,level objects, enemy objects, user interface elements, rules,interactions, and sounds. In certain of these embodiments, the developermay select and modify various sub-objects or sub-components associatedwith these main components. For example, the developer may add a heroobject and multiple enemy objects to the game, with the purpose ofhaving the end user destroy the enemy objects with the hero object inorder to reach an end goal. As shown in FIG. 43C, in certainembodiments, the game development environment may display variousoptions to the developer in connection with the design, creation andcustomization of a shooter mobile game and the developer may select,modify and combine the various components, design elements, and featuresfor the game in a manner similar to that described above in connectionwith FIG. 43A. In certain of these embodiments, the developer may beable to select the orientation of the mobile device display on which themobile game is intended to execute, such as by selecting gameorientation buttons 155 depicted in FIG. 43C.

Business Applications

The mobile development and deployment platform and applicationdevelopment environment described above can be used by developers tocreate, customize, modify, and distribute a wide variety of mobileapplications (or portions of such applications), including, in certainembodiments, customized business applications. For example, the mobiledevelopment and deployment platform can be used to develop customizedinventory management applications, timesheet applications, workflowmanagement applications, lead management applications, production linemanagement applications, etc. These applications may be created andcustomized by the developer for a particular business environment. Incertain embodiments, these business applications may be created anddistributed as separate mobile applications. In certain otherembodiments, these business applications may be created and distributedas one or more modules within a mobile application. These apps mayinclude other modules, such as those described above. As describedabove, in accordance with certain embodiments, the mobile developmentplatform may provide developers with one or more predefined modules orother application components that are associated with and/or allowdevelopers to incorporate certain features and functionality into mobileapps developed through the platform. Certain modules may be associatedwith certain application components, such as certain app-types.

In certain embodiments, a business application created and distributedby the mobile development and deployment platform may, when installed onthe end user's mobile device, create a structured data file, such as anend user database, in order to store data input by the end user. The enduser database may be stored on the end user's mobile device, on aserver, or be distributed across multiple devices and/or servers. Asdescribed above and illustrated in FIG. 4, each app developed throughthe mobile development and distribution platform may include a number ofmodules, each of which may be represented and stored in the tablesassociated with the particular type of module. In addition to examplesprovided above, including ModuleContacts table 235, ModulePhotos table240, and ModuleVideos table 245 (see FIG. 4), the data model may includea user-defined database structure element, such as a ModuleDatabasetable, which may include various attributes defining the structure ofthe end user database to be created and/or accessed by the end user'smobile device when running the mobile application. In certainembodiments, the user-defined database structure includes one or moredatabase fields defined by the developer.

The mobile development and deployment platform may define the structureof the end user database at the time the developer creates and/ormodifies the mobile application, based on the type of business appselected and/or the developer's selection of data fields associated withthat business app. The mobile application may use the user-defineddatabase structure data to create an end user database on the end user'smobile application. In certain embodiments, the mobile development anddeployment platform may provide a developer with a selection of moduleswith various functionalities that may allow the end user to store andretrieve data from the end user database. In certain embodiments, themodules may include functionalities that allow the end user to create,alter, sort, delete, and/or display the data stored in the end userdatabase. The functionality of various modules selected by the developermay be associated with the type of business app used in the mobileapplications. As described above, in certain embodiments, theapplication software code or logic associated with the module (or anyother application component or design element) may be stored inAppModules table 230 (FIG. 4), or may be stored in a separate location,in which case a reference to the location of the code may be stored inthe table. The mobile development and deployment platform thus allowsdevelopers to customize the business apps created through the platformby selecting the data fields to be included in the end user database andthe various functionalities that access and/or or alter the data storedin the end user database.

For example, the mobile development and deployment platform may allowdevelopers to create, customize, update, and/or deploy their owninventory management mobile application for a particular businessenvironment. The inventory management application, or app-type ofappInventory, may include various pre-defined modules, such as modulesfor adding an item to the inventory, editing an item in the inventory,deleting an item in the inventory, and displaying various listingsand/or reports of the inventory. FIGS. 44-45 and the correspondingdescription below illustrate and describe exemplary predefined modules,in addition to the modules described above, which may be used with themodule development and distribution platform in connection withdesigning an inventory management app. As described above and/orillustrated in FIG. 8, the developer may use the mobile development anddistribution platform to add, delete, and/or edit one or more modules inan application. If the developer selects a new module to add to the appor selects one of the existing modules to edit, flow proceeds to step A,where the developer is presented with various options and selectionsbased on the selected modules as illustrated and described below andillustrated in FIGS. 44-45. In certain embodiments, the addition ofcertain modules to the mobile application requires the developer tofirst add certain other modules to the mobile application, such asmodules that define the data fields to be used in the end user database.

FIG. 44 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing anadd-item form module for inclusion in a inventory system mobile appdeveloped through the mobile development and distribution platform,according to certain embodiments. In certain embodiments, the add-itemform module may be similar to the form module described above andillustrated in FIGS. 19, 20, and 20A, and may be used to define the datafields for the end user database and/or create and modify a simple formfor adding new inventory items for end user input through the mobileapplication. As shown in FIG. 44, at step 810, the developer may selectan option to add an add-item form module to an app or edit an existingadd-item forms module. In response, at step 811 the mobile developmentand deployment platform may activate an add-item form manager to allowthe developer to select data fields for the end user database and/orcreate and customize an add-item form for adding new inventory for theapp.

At step 812, the mobile development and deployment platform may displaydefault fields that are often used in inventory management systems andmay receive user selections from the developer defining the fields andoptions to use in the app or to customize. The developer may select aseparate field to allow the end user to store data for each relevantattribute of the items to be added to the inventory. For example,default fields may include fields such as name, identifier, purchaseprice, list price, quantity, category, type, date of purchase,description, location, end of warranty, country of manufacture, re-orderthreshold, etc. A developer designing the inventory management app for aparticular business may select fields appropriate for tracking theinventory used in that particular business. In certain embodiments, theadd-item form manager may present the default fields as a selectablelist, allowing the developer to select the fields to be included. Incertain other embodiments, the add-item form manager may present thedefault fields one and a time and allow the developer to select whetherto use or not to use the field. In addition, the add-item form managermay allow the developer to select whether input for that field isoptional or required, thus defining whether the end user can submit anew item to the inventory without inputting in data for that field. Incertain embodiments, the add-item form manager may allow the developerto select various options for the layout of the field on the add-itemform, such as format, size, location, etc. Alternatively, or inaddition, the add-item form manager may allow the developer to selectwhether the end user's input for the field should be limited to apre-defined list, and may allow the developer to define the pre-definedlist of field input options. In some embodiments, the pre-defined listmay be presented to the end user as a drop-down list of input options.

At step 813 a determination is then made as to whether the developerwants to add or edit additional fields beyond the default fields. If so,at step 814 the developer is prompted to input a title for the new fieldand/or allow the developer to select various options for the layout ofthe field on the add-item form, such as format, size, location, etc. Inaddition, as with the default fields, the add-item form manager mayallow the developer to select whether input for that field is optionalor required. Alternatively, or in addition, the add-item form managermay allow the developer to select whether the end user's input for theadditional field should be limited to a pre-defined list, and may allowthe developer to define the pre-defined list of field input options.After creating and customizing the field, flow returns to step 813 andthe developer may add new and/or edit additional fields. If thedeveloper does not want to add or edit any more fields, at step 815, thedeveloper's selections and inputs are saved and/or updated for themobile app, such as in a similar manner to that described above inconnection with FIG. 9.

At step 816, the add-item form manager saves and/or updates the databasestructure based on the fields selected by the developer. The databasestructure may be used by the mobile application after it is installed onan end user's device to create an end user database that may store datainput by the end user using the add-item. The add-item form displayed tothe end user seeking to add a new item to the inventory may includevarious form fields that correspond to the selections and input made bythe developer in the add-item form module. The add-item form mayindicate required fields, such as by displaying an asterisk or similardesignation next to the required field. The add-item form may alsoinclude one or more button, such as a submit button to allow an end userto submit the new item after the end user has input data in the requiredand desired fields. In certain embodiments, the forms module may checkwhether all required fields have been input or selected prior toallowing the end user to submit the form. The add-item form mayincorporate, in certain embodiments, certain functionalities of the enduser's mobile device, such as a camera, to allow the end user to scan anitem's bar code or QR code in order to add a new item to the inventorydatabase or to populate certain fields in the add-item form. Certainembodiments illustrated in FIG. 44 allows a developer to select datafields for the end user's inventory database and to create and/orcustomize the add-item form as part of the same module. In certain otherembodiments, the selection of the data fields for the inventory databasemay be performed by another module than the module used by the developerfor defining the layout, such as the format, size, location, etc. of thefields on the add-item form.

The mobile development and deployment platform may allow a developer toadd additional modules to the mobile application to perform variousinventory management functions. In certain embodiments, certain modulesmay have functionalities that access, alter, or display data stored inthe inventory database. In addition, certain modules may havefunctionalities that are selected and/or customized at least in part bythe developer. For example, the mobile development and deploymentplatform may allow a developer to add modules for editing items in theinventory and deleting items in the inventory, or changing the quantityof items in the inventory. The platform may, in some embodiments, allowthe developer to design the app to use certain functionalities of theend user's mobile device, such as a camera, such as to allow the enduser to scan an item's bar code or QR code in order to edit or delete anitem from the inventory database. In certain embodiments, the platformmay also allow the developer, in configuring the edit or delete modules,to select options such as to send notifications based on low quantity.For example, if the developer has included a re-order field as a datafield, the developer may select an option to have the mobile applicationsend a notification when the quantity of an item in the inventory dropsbelow a certain re-order threshold.

The mobile development and deployment module may also allow a developerto add and/or customize one or more inventory report modules. FIG. 45 isa flow diagram illustrating a process for customizing a report modulefor inclusion in a inventory system mobile app developed through themobile development and distribution platform, according to certainembodiments. In certain embodiments, the report module may be used todefine criteria and/or allow the end user to define criteria upon whichthe inventory list will be filtered, sorted, and/or displayed. As shownin FIG. 45, at step 820, the developer may select an option to add areport module to an app or edit an existing report module. In response,at step 821 the mobile development and deployment platform may activatean report manager to allow the developer to select filters, sortcriteria, and/or display fields, and/or to select such fields that maybe selected by the end user to select to generate a report of theinventory data on the mobile device running the inventory managementmobile application. At step 822, the developer is prompted to selectand/or input a title and/or introductory text for the report, and atitle and/or introductory text for the form by which the end user willinput selections, if applicable.

At step 823 a determination is then made as to whether the developerwants to add or edit filters for the report generation. If so, at step824 the developer may be prompted to input whether the filter can becustomized by the end user, and if so, the developer does not select thefield on which to filter a report listing, as that selection is reservedfor the end user. Otherwise, the developer may select a database fieldon which to filter the report. If the developer selected a databasefield on which to filter, the developer may also be prompted whether thelogical connector can be customized by the end user, and if so, thedeveloper does not select the logical connector, as that selection isreserved for the end user. Otherwise, the developer may select thelogical connector on which to filter the report, such as “is,” “is lessthan,” or “is greater than.” If the developer selected a logicalconnector, the developer may also be prompted whether the filtercriteria can be customized by the end user, and if so, the developerdoes not select the criteria, as that selection is reserved for the enduser. Otherwise, the developer may select the filtering criteria. Forexample, a developer may choose to create a report module that willcreate a report containing a list of all items in which the item'swarranty expires after a certain date specified by the developer. As another example, the developer may choose to create a report module thatallows the end user to select three filters along with the associatedfiltering criteria. As yet another example, the developer may choose tocreate a report module that creates a report containing a list of allitems in which the location is not a certain warehouse specific by thedeveloper. After adding or editing a filter and customizing itsselections and criteria, flow returns to step 823, allowing thedeveloper to add new and/or edit additional filters. For additionalfilters, in certain embodiments, the developer may select whether theadditional filter should be a logical conjunction or disjunction withthe previous filter.

If the developer does not want to add or edit any more filters, at step825, a determination is then made as to whether the developer wants toadd or edit any sorting criteria for the report generation. If so, atstep 826 the developer may be prompted to input whether the sortingcriteria can be customized by the end user, and if so, the developerdoes not select the field on which to sort a report listing, as thatselection is reserved for the end user. Otherwise, the developer mayselect a database field on which to sort the report and whether the sortshould be in ascending or descending order. For example, a developer maychoose to create a report containing a list of all items with a warrantythat expires before a certain date specified by the developer, andfurther sort the report by listing first those items with a warrantythat will expire the soonest. As an other example, the developer mayallow the end user to select three filtering criteria and to select twosorting criteria. After adding or editing a sorting criteria andcustomizing its selections and criteria, flow returns to step 825,allowing the developer to add new and/or edit additional sortingcriteria. For additional sorting criteria, those with the items havingmatching data for the prior sorting criteria may be sorted with theadditional sorting criteria.

If the developer does not want to add or edit any more sorting criteria,at step 827, the developer may limit the fields to be displayed in thereport. The report manager may present the database fields in aselectable list, allowing the developer to select the fields to beincluded. In certain embodiments, the report manager may allow thedeveloper to select various options for the layout of the report, suchas format, size, ordering of the fields, etc. After the developer hasselected which fields to include in the report, at step 828, thedeveloper's selections and inputs are saved and/or updated for themobile app, such as in a similar manner to that described above inconnection with FIG. 9.

The report module thus allows the developer to add customized reports,which may be customized by the developer and/or by the end user. Whenthe end user runs the report module, if the developer reserved anyfiltering criteria selections or sorting criteria selections for the enduser to select, the mobile application may present a form with thefiltering fields and sorting fields for the end user to select. Thereporting module may then generate and display a report based on thecriteria selected by the developer and/or end user. In certainembodiments, the developer may select display options or exportingoptions, or allow the end user to make those selections on the reportform. For example, the developer may select to allow the end user tochoose whether to display the inventory listing to the screen of themobile device, or to export the listing to a file, such as acomma-separated values (CSV) file.

In addition to the customizable reports available through the reportsmodule, the mobile development and deployment platform may allow thedeveloper to add pre-defined reports that are commonly found ininventory management systems, such as reports displaying total value ofassets, the number of items in each category, items that need to bere-ordered, etc. One advantage of using default fields is the abilityfor the mobile development and deployment platform to include certainpre-programmed functionalities into the mobile application, such as theability to use the quantity and price fields to calculate the totalvalue of the inventory. The mobile development and deployment platformthus allows developers to create and deploy highly customized inventorymanagement apps without technical programming knowledge.

By allowing a developer to select and/or customize modules similar tothose described above and use those modules as elements in mobileapplications, the mobile development and deployment platform may be usedto create a variety of other customized business module applications.For example, the platform may be used to create a timesheet mobileapplication that uses an end user database to store time entries.Similar to the process for developing inventory management apps, thedeveloper may use the mobile development and deployment platform todefine the structure of the end user database at the time the developercreates and/or modifies the timesheet mobile application. The timesheetmobile application, or app-type of appTimesheet, may include variouspre-defined modules, such as modules for adding a new time entry,editing a time entry, deleting a time entry, and displaying variouslistings and/or reports of the time entries. In certain embodiments, themobile development and distribution platform may include an add-entryform module, which may be similar to the add-item form module for theinventory management app, described above and illustrated in FIG. 44.The add-entry form module may be used to define the data fields for theend user database and/or to create and modify a simple form for an enduser to add new time entries to the database.

The mobile development and deployment platform may activate an add-entryform manager to allow the developer to select the data fields to beincluded on the add-entry form for the app and for defining thestructure of the end user database. As explained in the context of theadd-item form manager, the add-entry form manager may display defaultfields that are often used in timesheet systems, and may receive userselections from the developer selecting the fields and/or options to usein the app. For example, default fields may include fields such as starttime, end time, time worked, pay rate, task description, category,client name/identifier, if billable, etc. A developer designing thetimesheet app for a particular business may select fields appropriatefor tracking time entries in that particular business. The add-entryform manager may also allow the developer to add additional fieldsbeyond the default fields, thus prompting the developer to input a titlefor the new field. In certain embodiments, as explained above in thecontext of the add-item form manager, the add-entry form manager mayallow the developer to select various options for the layout of thefields on the add-entry form, such as format, size, location, etc.

After the developer has finished adding or editing entry fields, thedeveloper's selection and inputs are saved and/or updated for the mobileapp, such as in a similar manner to that described above. The add-entryform manager may also save and/or update the database structure based onthe fields selected by the developer. The database structure may be usedby the mobile application after it is installed on an end user's deviceto create an end user database that may store time entries input by theend user using the add-entry form. When an end user adds a new timeentry, the add-entry form may be displayed with various form fields thatcorrespond to the selections and input made by the developer, allowingthe end user to input a new time entry by entering data correspondingwith the appropriate fields. The add-entry form may incorporate, incertain embodiments, certain functionalities of the end user's mobiledevice, such as an internal digital clock for measuring the time elapsedfrom a start time to an end time, or by using the mobile device'saccelerometer and/or gyroscope to sense movement, such as a shake, toindicate a pause in time or restart of time.

The mobile development and deployment platform may allow a developer toadd additional modules to the timesheet mobile application to performvarious timesheet functions. For example, the mobile development anddeployment platform may allow the developer to add modules that edit ordelete time entries, or that calculate and report time worked over thelast day, last week, or last month, or over a time range selectable bythe end user. In addition, the platform may, in certain embodiments,allow a developer to add and/or customize one or more report modulesthat may display or export time entry information based on certain fieldcriteria and/or sorting criteria, similarly as explained above in thecontext of the inventory report module and as illustrated in FIG. 45.For example, in certain embodiments the developer may add and customizea report module that allows the end user to export the time entriesentered during a specified time range into report that includes portionsof data entries that correspond to certain selected fields. Such areport may be exported to a file and sent through email to a billingdepartment, or may be used to create an invoice to be sent to a client.As an other example, the developer may customize a report module thatallows the end user to send a record of time worked to payroll in aselected file format. The mobile development and deployment platform mayalso include other suitable modules with functionalities andcustomizable elements that may be included in a timesheet application.The platform thus allows developers to create and deploy customizedtimesheet apps without technical programming knowledge.

By using similar customizable modules to define the structure of and/orinterface with an end user database, the mobile development anddeployment platform may allow the user to develop many other customizedbusiness applications. In addition to or in place of one or both of theapp-types of appInventory and appTimesheet, the platform may provide, incertain embodiments, one or more of the following predefined app-types,among others, for use with apps created through the mobile developmentenvironment:

-   -   appLeads—In certain embodiments, an appLeads app-type may        utilize modules identical or similar to the modules described in        connection with the appInventory and appTimesheet app-types, and        may allow a developer to create an app for tracking and managing        new business leads for a certain type of business. In certain of        these embodiments, the developer may define fields, as well as        forms for inputting data corresponding those fields, for an end        user database that may store relevant information about an end        user's potential leads, such as contact information, preferred        contact methods, source of lead, type of business or type of        interest, relationship type, etc. The end user may then create        and edit an end user database of business leads. The mobile app        may allow the developer to create forms that an end user may        then use on the app to create and distribute marketing materials        to those with certain interests or with certain relationship        types. For example, the developer may create a form that allows        the end user to create a marketing email to be sent to those        leads entered their email address in an online form to access a        white paper produced by the end user.    -   appWorkflow—In certain embodiments, an appWorkflow app-type may        utilize modules identical or similar to those described above        and may allow a developer to create an app for tracking and        managing the progress of projects and/or tasks through a        workflow. In certain of these embodiments, the developer may        define fields for an end user database that may define the        series of stages in a workflow used in a particular business        environment. The end user may track new tasks by inputting data        for each stage, such as the individual or group responsible for        each stage and the amount of time the stage should take. The        mobile application may then send notifications (e.g., by email)        to the responsible individual or group when a task moves from        one stage in the workflow to the next or when a deadline for a        task is approaching or has arrived. The mobile application may        also allow the end user to track the progress of each task        through report modules    -   appProduction—In certain embodiments, an appProduction app-type        may utilize modules identical or similar to those described        above, and may allow a developer to create an app for tracking        and managing the progress of the assembly or production of an        product through the production process. In certain of these        embodiments, the developer may define fields for an end user        database that may define the series of stages in an assembly or        production process that are used in a particular business        environment, as well as any metrics that may be measured at each        stage of assembly or production. The end user may create new        production line tracking by inputting data for each stage, such        as the responsible party and time parameters. The mobile        application may then send notifications and allow the end user        to input data for the metrics tracked at each stage, such as        test results or quality measurements. The appProduction app-type        may also include report modules for tracking the stages of        production and/or for reporting the metrics for quality control        analysis.

In certain embodiments, the exemplary pre-defined app-types describedabove, and/or others, may be selected, modified, and/or combined bydevelopers during the process of designing and creating mobile appsthrough the mobile development and distribution platform. As a result,the mobile development and deployment platform provides non-technicalusers and developers with a high degree of customizability in creatingmobile applications that utilize functionalities of various modules.

It is understood that the various systems and methods described inconnection with the foregoing figures are exemplary, and any othersuitable systems or methods may be used. The foregoing is merelyillustrative of the principles of this invention and variousmodifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention. As an example, althoughcertain embodiments of the mobile development platform have beendescribed in connection with certain predefined app-types and modulesassociated with particular features and functions that may be includedin mobile apps developed through the platform, the platform may provideany number, manner and type of predefined application components andsubcomponents which may be associated with any one or more features,functionalities or content. One skilled in the art will appreciate thatthe present invention can be practiced in other than the describedembodiments, which are presented for purposes of illustration and notlimitation, and the present invention is limited only by the claimswhich follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for allowing users to develop mobilebusiness applications or portions thereof that are capable of beingcompiled to run on a plurality of mobile operating systems, the systemcomprising: a computing device having physical memory storinginstructions that cause the computing device to: provide a user accessto a mobile application development platform adapted to assist userswith the development and customization of mobile applications; receivefrom a user a request to develop a mobile application through the mobileapplication development platform; send information associated with aplurality of customizable components to be presented to the user, theplurality of customizable components pertaining to a functionality,design, content, and database structure of a mobile application to bedeveloped the user; receive from the user a plurality of customizablecomponent selections pertaining to the plurality of presentedcustomizable components; associate application data with the mobileapplication based, at least in part, on the plurality of customizablecomponent selections received from the user, the application datarepresenting user-defined functionality, design, content, and databasestructure for the mobile application; store the application data;generate compiled data for the mobile application based on theapplication data using build tools associated with at least one mobileoperating system; and generate a configuration file comprising anidentifier for the mobile application, the configuration file beingadapted for transmission to, and execution on, a mobile device runningthe at least one mobile operating system; wherein: the identifierenables the retrieval of at least a portion of the compiled applicationdata by the mobile device in response to the mobile application beinginstalled on or executed by the mobile device; the application dataassociated with the mobile application comprises: a database structureelement representing a user-defined database structure to be utilized bythe mobile application to create an end user database, and anapplication component representing a user-defined functionality to beprovided by the mobile application; the user-defined database structurecomprises one or more database fields defined by the user; and theuser-defined functionality comprises application code associated withone or more modules that interfaces with the end user database.
 2. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the mobile application developmentplatform includes a web based service accessed by the user through theInternet.
 3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the mobileapplication development platform is accessed through a softwareapplication installed on a computer associated with the user.
 4. Thesystem according to claim 1, the physical memory storing instructionsthat further cause the computing device to receive from the user one ormore identifying properties for the mobile application.
 5. The systemaccording to claim 4, wherein the one or more identifying properties areselected from the group consisting of a name, a type, a category, adescription, a unique identifier, and a date.
 6. The system according toclaim 4, wherein the one or more identifying properties includes anapplication property comprising an indicator of an application categoryassociated with the mobile application, and the physical memory storinginstructions that further cause the computing device to: determine, inresponse to receiving the one or more identifying properties from theuser, the information associated with a plurality of customizablecomponents based, at least in part, on the application property.
 7. Thesystem according to claim 4, wherein the request to develop a mobileapplication comprises a request to modify an existing mobile applicationand the one or more identifying properties includes an applicationidentifier that uniquely identifies an existing mobile application, andthe physical memory storing instructions that further cause thecomputing device to: determine, in response to receiving the one or moreidentifying properties from the user, the information associated with aplurality of customizable components based, at least in part, on theapplication identifier.
 8. The system according to claim 1, wherein theapplication code associated with the one or more modules further addsnew items to the end user database.
 9. The system according to claim 1,wherein the application code associated with the one or more modulesfurther edits items in the end user database.
 10. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein the application code associated with the one or moremodules further deletes existing items from the end user database. 11.The system according to claim 1, wherein the application code associatedwith the one or more modules further generates reports based on afiltering and sorting of data stored in the end user database.
 12. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the application code associatedwith the one or more modules further generates reports based on acounting or totaling of data stored in the end user database.
 13. Thesystem according to claim 1, wherein the application code associatedwith the one or more modules further generates invoices based on aselection of data stored in the end user database.
 14. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the application code associated with theone or more modules further generates correspondence based on aselection of data stored in the end user database.
 15. The systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the application code associated with theone or more modules further generates automated notifications based ondata stored in the end user database.
 16. The system according to claim1, wherein the user-defined functionality further comprises devicespecific functionality associated with at least one set of mobiledevices.
 17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the devicespecific functionality is selected from the group consisting of acompass, GPS, a gyroscope, a touch screen, a camera, a speaker, amicrophone, short-range radio communication, Wi-Fi, USB connectivity,and a proximity sensor.
 18. The system according to claim 1, wherein theapplication data associated with the mobile application furthercomprises: a design element representing a user-defined designcharacteristic associated with the presentation of the mobileapplication on mobile devices; and a content element representinguser-defined content to be accessed through the mobile application. 19.The system according to claim 18, wherein the user-defined designcharacteristic is selected from the group consisting of a layout, atheme, an orientation, a font, and a style.
 20. The system according toclaim 18, wherein the user-defined content comprises data selected fromthe group consisting of an image, a video, a sound, a song, a link, ananimation, a document, and text.
 21. The system according to claim 18,wherein one or more of the user-defined functionality, designcharacteristic, content, and database structure are associated with datauploaded by the user from a computer associated with the user.
 22. Thesystem according to claim 18, wherein the application data furthercomprises one or more predefined components or elements, each of the oneor more predefined components or elements representing a defaultfunctionality, design characteristic, content, or database structureassociated with the mobile application.
 23. The system according toclaim 22, wherein the one or more predefined components or elements aredetermined based, at least in part, on a category of applicationsassociated with the mobile application.
 24. The system according toclaim 1, wherein the mobile application is an inventory managementapplication.
 25. The system according to claim 1, wherein the mobileapplication is a timesheet application.
 26. The system according toclaim 1, wherein the mobile application is a workflow managementapplication.
 27. The system according to claim 1, wherein the mobileapplication is a lead management application.
 28. The system accordingto claim 1, wherein the mobile application is a production linemanagement application.
 29. A method for developing and customizingmobile business applications or portions thereof that are compiled torun on a plurality of mobile operating systems, the method beingimplemented through instructions stored in a physical memory associatedwith a computing device, which causes the computing device to performthe steps of: receiving at the computing device a request to access amobile application development platform from a user through a user inputdevice, the mobile development platform being adapted to assist userswith the development and customization of mobile applications; grantingthe user access to the mobile application development platform;transmitting from the computing device information causing a pluralityof customizable components to be presented to the user on a displayassociated with the user input device, the plurality of customizablecomponents pertaining to a functionality, design, content, and databasestructure of a mobile application to be customized by the user;receiving from the user at the computing device a plurality ofcustomizable component selections pertaining to the plurality ofpresented customizable elements; associating application data with themobile application based, at least in part, on the plurality ofcustomizable component selections, the application data being stored inthe physical memory associated with the computing device; generating atthe computing device compiled data for the mobile application based onthe application data using build tools associated with at least onemobile operating system; and generating at the computing device aconfiguration file comprising an identifier for the mobile application,the configuration file being adapted for transmission to, and executionon, a mobile device running the at least one mobile operating system;wherein: the identifier enables the retrieval of at least a portion ofthe compiled application data by the mobile device in response to themobile application being installed on or executed by the mobile device;the application data associated with the mobile application comprises: adatabase structure element representing a user-defined databasestructure to be utilized by the mobile application to create an end userdatabase, and an application component representing a user-definedfunctionality to be provided by the mobile application; the user-defineddatabase structure comprises one or more database fields defined by theuser; and the user-defined functionality comprises application codeassociated with one or more modules that interfaces with the end userdatabase.
 30. A system for allowing users to develop mobile businessapplications or portions thereof that are capable of being compiled torun on a plurality of mobile operating systems, the system comprising: afirst computer comprising a first processor, the first computer beingconfigured to provide a mobile application development platform adaptedto assist users with the development and customization of mobileapplications; and a second computer comprising a second processor andphysical memory coupled to the second processor, the second computerbeing configured to communicate with the first computer; wherein thefirst processor is adapted to: grant a user access to the mobileapplication development platform through a user input device thatincludes display circuitry; transmit to the user input deviceinformation associated with a plurality of customizable components fordisplay on the user input device, the plurality of customizablecomponents pertaining to a functionality, design, content, and databasestructure of a mobile application to be customized by the user; receivefrom the user input device a plurality of customizable componentselections pertaining to the plurality of transmitted customizablecomponents; transfer application data associated with the mobileapplication to the second computer, the application data based, at leastin part, on the plurality of customizable component selections; generatecompiled data for the mobile application based on the application datausing build tools associated with at least one mobile operating system;and generate a configuration file comprising an identifier for themobile application, the configuration file being adapted fortransmission to, and execution on, a mobile device running the at leastone mobile operating system; wherein: the second processor is adapted tostore the application data, in response to receiving the applicationdata from the first computer, on the physical memory of the secondcomputer; the identifier enables the retrieval of at least a portion ofthe compiled data by the mobile device in response to the mobileapplication being installed on or executed by the mobile device; theapplication data associated with the mobile application comprises: adatabase structure element representing a user-defined databasestructure to be utilized by the mobile application to create an end userdatabase, and an application component representing a user-definedfunctionality to be provided by the mobile application; the user-defineddatabase structure comprises one or more database fields defined by theuser; and the user-defined functionality comprises application codeassociated with one or more modules that interfaces with the end userdatabase.